Washington State is home to 8 military bases. These bases are run by the Air Force, Air National Guard, Navy, and Coast Guard, with one base ran jointly by the Air Force and Army.
The military bases in Washington have varying missions, including combat, aviation, support, training, intelligence, and more.
Their histories vary as well, with one base starting in 1917 and another not having been put together until 2004.
Below, you’ll find a brief rundown of each of the military bases in Washington. If you’d like to learn more about any specific base, follow the link to its official site (also provided below).
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: https://www.goang.com/locations/washington/camp-murray-air-guard-station.html
Navy Bases in Washington State
Naval Air Station- Whidbey Island
Location: Oak Harbor, Washington
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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, the P-3 Poseidon, the P-3 Orion, and the EP-3E Aries.
As a whole, the base aims to provide the highest quality services and facilities to local naval aviation.
Units Stationed:
- Electronic Attack Squadron
- Maritime Patrol
- Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron: VQ:1 World Watchers
- Fleet Logistics Support: VR-61 Islanders
- Search and Rescue: NASWI SAR
- Fleet Readiness Center Northwest
Official Site: https://www.cnic.navy.mil/regions/cnrnw/about.html
Naval Base- Everett
Location: Everett, Washington
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In Use: 1994- Present
Overall Mission: This station is located on a convenient deep-water port, one of only two navy deepwater ports on the west coast.
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://www.cnic.navy.mil/regions/cnrnw/installations/ns_everett/about.html
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, their missions depend 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
- Submarine Group 9
- Naval Facilities Engineering Command Northwest
- Naval Hospital Bremerton
- Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility
- Strategic Weapons Facility Pacific
- Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Keyport
Official Site: https://www.cnic.navy.mil/regions/cnrnw/installations/navbase_kitsap.html
Naval Magazine Indian Island
Location: Port Hadlock, Washington
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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://www.cnic.navy.mil/regions/cnrnw/installations/naval_magazine_indian_island.html
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.
Units Stationed:
- Sector Field Office- Port Angeles
- Station Port Angeles
- Station Bellingham
- Station Neah Bay
- Station Quillayute River
- Station Seattle
- USCGC Adelie, Blue Shark, Osprey, Sea Devil, Sea Fox, Sea Lion, Swordfish, Terrapin, Wahoo, Cuttyhunk,
- Aid to Navigation Teams Puget Sound
- Puget Sound Vessel Traffic
- Marine Safety Unit Puget Sound
Official Site: https://www.pacificarea.uscg.mil/Our-Organization/District-13/Units/Sector-Puget-Sound/
Joint Branch Bases in Washington State
Joint Branch Lewis-McChord
Location:
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 trainings and providing mobilization and deployment 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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