NAVAL AIR FACILITY EL CENTRO ECONOMIC IMPACT
For Official Use Only: May Not Be Releasable under FOIA. December 2007 Do Not Forward to Persons without a Demonstrated Official Need for the Information Contained Herein
Leadership Welcome
We are pleased to present the following Economic Impact information for NAF El Centro. The following document provides unclassified key information about the economic contribution of the installation on the surrounding community. NAF El Centro continues to enjoy an atmosphere of mutual respect, cooperation, strong teamwork, and common interest in economic enhancement with our local communities. Our mission is to provide base support to Naval Aviation Squadrons and maintain target ranges for their weapons and combat air training. The installation also supports Marine Aviation units, air elements from the US Army and US Air Force, and international units. It is significant to note that the base’s economic impact on our surrounding communities exceeds $115.5 million. In fiscal year 2006, military and civilian payrolls, combined with various construction and service contracts, enhanced the local economic impact by generating 1,300 direct and indirect jobs. We are proud of the enthusiastic relationship we enjoy with our local communities and throughout the Imperial Valley. The commitment of our people to the success of NAF El Centro will continue to exert a significant, positive economic influence for many years to come.
Captain James A. Hubbard Commanding Officer NAF El Centro
MISSION “...to provide base support to Naval Aviation Squadrons and maintain target ranges for their weapons and combat air training. The installation also supports Marine Aviation units, air elements from the US Army and US Air Force, and international units”.
History NAVY LEASED THE IMPERIAL COUNTY AIRPORT FOR USE AS A MARINE CORP AIR STATION NAF El Centro’s combination of climate, vast unobstructed desert terrain, limited non-military air traffic and our own dedicated gunnery and bomb ranges make it an ideal NAVAL AIR FACILITY EL CENTRO COMMISSIONED environment for aerial combat maneuvering, air-to-air gunnery and bombing practice, and electronic warfare training. Originally the site of the Imperial County airport, the Navy PARACHUTE EXPERIMENTAL DIVISION MOVES FROM LAKEHURST, NEW leased the facility for use as a Marine Air Station in 1942. On JERSEY TO EL CENTRO January 1, 1943, Marine Base Defense Air Group 43, VMF-216, and VMSB-235 were commissioned and stationed at the NAVAL AIR TECHNICAL TRAINING UNIT, ENGAGED IN TARGET DRONE installation. The formal commissioning of the installation took place on July 24, 1943. The installation operated as a DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING, MOVED TO EL CENTRO Marine Corp air station until its decommissioning and subsequent re-commissioning to the Navy on May 1, 1946. Taken over by the Navy, the facility was used primarily for JOINT PARACHUTE FACILITY ESTABLISHED aircraft storage, and gunnery and rocket training over the course of the next year. In 1947, the Navy acquired the leased land of the station for the purpose of making El Centro a permanent installation. FLEET AIR GUNNERY UNIT ESTABLISHED Attracted by the good weather, the installation has been home to a number of units and missions during its tenure. For the first 35 years, the mission of El Centro was devoted to aeronautical escape system testing, evaluation, and design. In November 1947, the Parachute Experimental Division from Lakehurst, New Jersey moved to El Centro. In 1951, the Joint Parachute Facility was established and consisted of the Naval Parachute Unit and Air Force 6511th Test Group (Parachute). The Air Force remained part of El Centro’s test organization for the next 27 years. In 1964, the US Naval Aerospace Recovery Facility was designated and on July 1, 1973, it was combined with El Centro to form the National Parachute Test Range. Six years later (1979), the parachute test mission was transferred to NAWS US NAVAL AEROSPACE RECOVERY FACILITY DESIGNATED China Lake.
Today, NAF El Centro provides realistic training to active and BLUE ANGELS BEGIN USING EL CENTRO AS THEIR PERMANENT WINTER reserve military units. Squadrons visit the installation and its associated ranges to practice gunnery, bombing, carrier TRAINING BASE landings and air combat.
Base Statistics