Military
Naval Support Activity – Panama City
Currently, the Activity hosts several project offices, including the Deployable Joint Command and Control System. NSA, Panama City also hosts many other diverse tenant activities: Explosive Ordnance Disposal Detachment, U.S. Coast Guard, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Naval Dental Center Branch Dental Clinic, Navy Exchange Branch, Naval Hospital Pensacola Branch Clinic, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, Navy Publication and Printing Service Office, Naval Special Warfare Training Detachment, Personnel Support Detachment, Resident Officer in Charge of Construction, Veterans Administration Primary Care Clinic, and the Coastal Operations Institute.
The Activity totals 657 acres and houses 221 buildings. The Athena Research Vessels are based in Panama City, and include three converted Asheville-class patrol gunboats. Two have been converted to support general hydrodynamic and acoustic testing, and one supports electromagnetic signatures testing.
NSA, Panama City employs approximately 2,800 civilian and military personnel with an annual payroll of more than $150 million. The Activity contracts services, buys local goods, and maintains an active construction program. Its economic impact on Bay County is more than $400 million annually. Throughout its existence, NSA, Panama City and its tenants have continued to evolve to meet the demanding requirements of the U.S. Navy-to defend today and to plan for tomorrow in response to national needs.
History – Naval Support Activity, Panama City had its origin in the mine countermeasures research conducted during World War II at the U.S. Naval Mine Warfare Test Station, Solomons, Maryland. In 1945, equipment, facilities, and personnel were transferred from Solomons to Panama City, Florida, to occupy a 373-acre tract along St. Andrew Bay. This same tract was used as a Naval Section Base in 1942, the U.S. Naval Amphibious Training Base in 1944, and was inactivated in June 1945. It was established as the U.S. Navy Mine Countermeasures Station July 20, 1945. By 1955, the Countermeasures Station had achieved laboratory status and was renamed to the U.S. Navy Mine Defense Laboratory in April 1955. Its mission had been expanded to include torpedo countermeasures, helicopter mine countermeasures, mine hunting and mine watching study projects, and other advanced countermeasures. Also by the late 1950’s the laboratory started dive programs as well.
The Laboratory became an activity of the Naval Ship Research and Development Center, Carderock, Maryland, November 1967, and was renamed the Naval Ship Research and Development Laboratory, Panama City, November 1968. A naval internal reorganization effort to combine several of the closely related research and development laboratories resulted in the Panama City and Annapolis labs being combined with the David Taylor Naval Ship Research and Development Center at Carderock, MD. Renamed the Naval Coastal Systems Laboratory in February 1972, its mission had expanded into warfare areas such as inshore undersea warfare and amphibious operations. In its separate command status, the laboratory reported directly to the Chief of Naval Material. Navy Experimental Diving Unit (NEDU) became a tenant in 1973, established to perform all aspects of independent test and evaluation for diving and hyperbaric operation. In 1974, the Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center moved to the base from the Washington Navy Yard to provide all aspects of training in diving, ship salvage, and submarine rescue. These tenants, combined with the diving research and development program of the host laboratory, established Panama City as the single site for diving for the Navy.
March 1978, again a name changed to place changing the base to Naval Coastal Systems Center (NCSC) to more accurately reflect the broad range of products and services provided and to bring its name into consonance with the other seven RDT&E centers commanded by the Chief of Naval Material. Upon disestablishment of the Naval Material Command in 1985, NCSC reported to the Office of the Chief of Naval Research. From 1986 through 1991, NCSC reported to the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command. In October 1991, it was realigned under the Naval Sea Systems Command. In January 1992, NCSC was re-designated the Coastal Systems Station (CSS), Dahlgren Division, Naval Surface Warfare Center, reporting to the Naval Sea Systems Command. On October 1 2003, CSS was reorganized as a part of the alignment under the Commander, Navy Installations. During this reorganization, the base was renamed Naval Support Activity, Panama City, reporting to the Commander, Navy Region Southeast. The R&D mission workforce was renamed the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Panama City. The primary mission and work areas of the base remained unchanged.
NSA, Panama City’s largest tenant activity is NSWC PC, still one of the major research, development, test and evaluation laboratories of the Navy, which boasts a wide base of expertise in engineering and scientific disciplines in the mission areas of mine warfare, expeditionary warfare, special warfare, and diving and life support. NSWC PC and the other three major tenants, the Navy Experimental Diving Unit, the Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center, and the Center for Navy Ordnance Disposal and Diving, make the Station the consolidated site for all navy diving and salvage research, development, testing, and training. Please visit the site http://www.navsea.navy.mil/nswc/panamacity/default.aspx for more information about the NSA-Panama City Base.
Tyndall Air Force Base
325th Fighter Wing – The 325th Fighter Wing’s primary mission is to project unrivaled combat airpower for America. The wing is currently transitioning to the F-35A Lightning II. When the transition is complete, the 325th Fighter Wing will become the Air Force’s newest operational fighter wing with three F-35A squadrons tasked to maintain combat readiness in support of national defense.
The 325th FW is host to 20 tenant organizations from multiple Major Commands and across several military mission sets located at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. The wing is comprised of the 325th Operations Group, 325th Maintenance Group, 325th Mission Support Group and 325th Medical Group.
Tyndall Air Force Base is currently undergoing a $4.7 billion dollar rebuild after sustaining a direct hit from Hurricane Michael in 2018. When the rebuild is complete, Tyndall will be the Air Force’s first 21st Century “Installation of the Future.”
Rebuild – In 2018, Tyndall Air Force Base sustained a direct hit from Hurricane Michael. Overall, 484 buildings were damaged, and Tyndall removed 792,450 cubic yards of debris which would fill Washington DC’s Capitol Rotunda 16.5 times. As the 325th Fighter Wing began to reconstitute, the Air Force, installation and Mission Support Center headquarters quickly realized a mammoth effort was needed to rebuild the installation. In support of the wing commander, AFIMSC established a Program Management Office (PMO) to repair, reshape, and rebuild Tyndall.
In 2021, the PMO integrated with the Air Force Civil Engineer Center’s Facility Directorate to create the Natural Disaster Recovery Division to continue the Tyndall rebuild effort and formalize the support to Offutt AFB and Joint Base Langley-Eustis AFB. The Tyndall-based NDR Division provides strategic construction management to assist Air Force installations to quickly recover from disasters and make infrastructure more resilient. Tyndall and the NDR work hand-in-hand to reshape the base into a more lethal, ready, and resilient base. Coined the “Installation of the Future,” this base will be the first of its kind in the Department of Defense. It will meet the needs of our current and future forces by incorporating resilient infrastructure, innovative designs, and advanced technology to equip Airmen to execute the mission of today and tomorrow.
The first of many new F-35A Lightning II aircraft arrived in August 2023 at Tyndall, the future home of three F-35 squadrons. Throughout the rebuilding process, Tyndall has remained operationally ready and continues to project unrivaled combat airpower for our nation. The 325th Fighter Wing is transitioning into a combat-coded F-35A Lighting II and supports multiple tenant organizations. Our Airmen remain ready for worldwide deployment in support of combat operations.
Click HERE to view Tyndall news and announcements. Information and graphic gathered from http://www.tyndall.af.mil/. Please visit the site provided for more information about Tyndall Air Force Base, or visit http://www.af.mil/.
Bay Defense Alliance
Bay Defense Alliance Quaterly Update In response to the growing emphasis on the downsizing of US military infrastructure and the enactment of federal Base Realignment and Closure legislation calling for closure initiatives in 1991, 1993 and 1995, the Bay County BRAC Committee, Inc. was formed. The organization became an independent, not for profit corporation and later changed its name to the Bay Defense Alliance, Inc. The organization was founded by community leaders involved with the Bay County Chamber of Commerce, the Bay County Economic Development Alliance and other key organizations, and the 25-member board includes representation from nearly every major community organization.
Since its inception, the mission of the BDA has been to study every aspect of our military installations and work to preserve and enhance their missions and military value. Working closely with our congressional delegation toward this common goal, the BDA has assisted our installations in securing appropriate funding necessary to sustain operations, ensure growth and complete important military construction projects.
The Bay Defense Alliance also partners with Enterprise Florida, Inc., and the Florida Defense Alliance to make Florida a more defense-friendly state. The BDA works closely with installation leadership to facilitate the Defense Infrastructure Grant program which provides funding for special projects of mutual benefit to our local bases and the community. To date the Defense Infrastructure Grant Program has brought more than $4.5 million in grants to Tyndall AFB and the Naval Support Activity Panama City.
Although legislated BRAC law is now in the phase of implementing decisions, the threat has not diminished. Competition for defense dollars will continue, installations that contribute to our national defense will remain strong and efficient only with the full support of the communities around them and the capable involvement of our elected leadership. Accordingly, the roles of the Bay Defense Alliance and the Florida Defense Alliance are more important than ever in this effort. Please go to www.baydefense.org for more information.
