Washington State is home to multiple military installations operated by the U.S. Army, Air Force, Navy, Coast Guard, and Air National Guard.
These bases support a wide range of missions, including aviation, maritime operations, training, logistics, intelligence, and homeland security.
Several installations have histories dating back more than a century, while others were established through more recent realignments and joint-basing efforts.
This article provides an overview of the major military bases located in Washington State, including their missions, units, and service affiliations.
What People Get Wrong About Military Bases in Washington State
A common misconception is that Washington’s military presence is limited to one or two large installations, when the state hosts multiple bases across different branches.
Many people assume all bases in Washington focus on combat operations, overlooking missions related to training, logistics, intelligence, and maritime safety.
Another misunderstanding is that joint bases operate as a single unit, even though tenant units may have distinct missions and command structures.
Some believe older installations are no longer active, despite several Washington bases having continuous operations for decades.
There is also confusion about aircraft and unit assignments, with assumptions that legacy systems remain in use long after they have been retired.
Finally, many people underestimate Washington State’s strategic importance to Pacific, Arctic, and homeland defense operations.
Air Force Bases in Washington State
Fairchild Air Force Base
Location: Spokane, Washington
In Use: 1942- Present
Overall Mission: Fairchild Air Force Base as a whole contains many different missions.
Their largest mission is Air Refueling for both active duty and National Guard units.
The base is also home to the Air Force Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (aka SERE) School and the Joint Personnel Recovery Agency.
Units Stationed:
- 92nd and 141st Air Refueling Wing
- 92nd Mission Support Group, Operations Group, Maintenance Group, and Medical Group
- 336th Training Group
Official Site: https://www.fairchild.af.mil/
Related Article – Military Bases In California
Camp Murray Air Guard Station
Location: Tacoma, Washington
In Use: 1917- Present
Overall Mission: This base trains Air National Guard units on ground missions and special operations (Combat Weather).
Its main duty is performing Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance missions, while it also works in Combat Communications, Weather, Network Warfare, and more.
Units Stationed:
- 143rd Combat Communications Squadron
- 194th Regional Support Wing
Official Site:
Navy Bases in Washington State
Naval Air Station Whidbey Island
Location: Oak Harbor, Washington
In Use: 1942- Present
Overall Mission: This base is where all Electronic Attack Squadrons in the Navy are stationed.
Maritime Patrol and Recon Squadrons also make up a large part of this base’s mission.
The aircraft flown here include the EA-18G Growler, P-8A Poseidon, C-40 Clipper, and MH-60S Seahawk helicopter.
As a whole, the base aims to provide the highest quality services and facilities to local naval aviation.
Units Stationed:
- 390th Electronic Attack Squadron
- Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing 10
- Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 61
- Aviation Survival Training Center
- Fleet Readiness Center Northwest
- Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training
- Search and Rescue: NASWI SAR
Official Site: https://cnrnw.cnic.navy.mil/Installations/NAS-Whidbey-Island/
Naval Station Everett
Location: Everett, Washington
In Use: 1994 – Present
Overall Mission: This station is located on a deep-water port that supports U.S. Navy surface combatant operations in the Pacific Northwest.
From this port, the base and its tenant units provide shore station support to US Navy and Coast Guard missions.
Units Stationed:
- Carrier Strike Group 11
- Destroyer Squadron 9
Official Site: https://cnrnw.cnic.navy.mil/Installations/NS-Everett/
Naval Base Kitsap
Location: Kitsap Peninsula, Washington
In Use: 2004 – Present
Overall Mission: This base is the largest Navy base in the Northwest and the 3rd largest in the country.
As a result, it’s also one of the biggest military bases in Washington state as well.
Because of this, its mission depends on the unit more so than the base.
Some of their best-known missions relate to logistics, maintenance, submarine, aircraft carriers, and engineering.
Units Stationed:
- Navy Region Northwest
- Naval Facilities Engineering Command Northwest
- Naval Hospital Bremerton
- Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility
Official Site: https://cnrnw.cnic.navy.mil/Installations/NAVBASE-Kitsap/
Naval Magazine Indian Island
Location: Port Hadlock, Washington
In Use: 1941- Present
Overall Mission: This base is the Navy’s only West Coast deep-water ammunitions port.
Its main mission is the receipt, storage, and issue of munitions at Indian Island.
They aim to provide the finest logistics and ordnance support to their Fleet and to the Department of Defense.
Official Site: https://cnrnw.cnic.navy.mil/Installations/NAVMAG-Indian-Island/
Coast Guard Bases in Washington State
13th Coast Guard District: Sector Puget Sound
Location: Seattle, Washington
In Use: 2010- Present
Overall Mission: This Coast Guard Sector provides typical Coast Guard duties to the Washington Coast area as well as nearby rivers.
Its missions include Search and Rescue, Maritime Law Enforcement, Marine Environmental Protection, and more.
Official Site: https://www.pacificarea.uscg.mil/Our-Organization/District-13/Units/Sector-Puget-Sound/
Joint Branch Bases in Washington State
Joint Base Lewis-McChord
Location: Tacoma–Lakewood, Washington
In Use: 1917 – Present
Overall Mission: This is a joint base that serves both the Army and the Air Force.
The tenant units have varying missions, though the base as a whole focuses on state-of-the-art training and providing for the mobilization and deployment of capable units when necessary.
The base is also home to the Madigan Army Medical Center.
At close to 87,000 acres in size, it also happens to be the largest military base in Washington state.
Units Stationed:
- I Corps
- 62nd Airlift Wing
- Madigan Army Medical Center
Official Site: https://home.army.mil/lewis-mcchord/index.php
Born and raised in Woodbridge, NJ, he graduated from the New Jersey Institute Of Technology with an MBA in eCommerce.His hobbies include beach volleyball, target shooting, and lifting.
Rob is also a Commercially rated pilot and Certified Flight Instructor (CFI), with over 1,500 hours of flight time.
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