CoBases – US Military Bases

Category: Pennsylvania

How many military bases are in Pennsylvania?

There are four military bases in Pennsylvania.

  • Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Willow Grove (Closed)

    The base is also called NASJRB Willow Grove. It is basically an Air Station of Naval and it is situated in the Horsham Township in the state of Pennsylvania. The base was built in 1926 by an American inventor and aviation pioneer Harold Frederick Pitcairn. The base was originally used for designing and testing purposes, later the base was used as navy faculty for designing aircrafts. During its early times it only had a hanger with grass strip used by airplanes to takeoff and land. The base received its names from a nearby town named as Willow Grove as no body knew the area by its original name.

    The base was first used by Harold Frederick Pitcairn to design and test airplanes including the Wright R-760 Whirlwind airplanes, which were widely used by US Postal Mail between 1924 and 1942. But later the base was purchased by United States to operate an anti-submarine operation during the Second World War. The base continued operating as a training facility in Cold War. It was used as an aviation training and operation facility by all major US Armed Forces. And it is still used today for same purpose; the base has also hosted some air shows notably in the year of 2006.

    Joint Reserve Base Willow Grove Joint Reserve Base Willow Grove Joint Reserve Base Willow Grove Willow Grove Sign Joint Reserve Base Willow Grove NAS Willow Grove areal view

    Today the base continues offering its services to number of US Armed Forces and it is stationed with 111th Fighter Wing comprising of fighter jet planes including A-10 Thunderbolt II The squadron also comprise of some of the best former US Air Force aircrafts such as P-51 Mustang, Boeing B-29 Superfortress, A-37 Dragonfly and F-89 Scorpion. The base is also home to headquarters Pennsylvania of Civil Aviation Patrols and US Cadet Corps of Naval Sea, which is some of the most widely, recognized military-civil aviation authorities in US.

  • Tobyhanna Army Depot

    It is also known as Tobyhanna Army Depot and it is located in the town of Tobyhanna in the state of Pennsylvania, United States. It is the logistic center of US Department of Defense. It specializes in electronic systems located on the center, which includes monitoring and warning systems. The base was established in 1953 as Tobyhanna Signal Depot and it performs number of operations on the center, which includes repair and maintenance of communications systems, intelligence technology, surveillance, computer and control system repairs for US Armed Forces in the country. The center also specializes in repairing large size instruments such as radars, satellites, and telecommunication and navigation systems.

    The logistic center has a large amount of experience of repair and maintenance of complex military instruments. The base also received more work due to vast experience and excellent performance. It is also considered as the leader in repairing automatic instruments and highly sophisticated equipments. The US military considers the base as their most important repair stations capable of performing repair operations of guided missiles, avionics and control equipments.

    Tobyhanna army depot sign

    Tobyhanna army depot Tobyhanna army depot Tobyhanna army depot Tobyhanna army depot Tobyhanna army depot Tobyhanna army depot Tobyhanna army depot

    There are around 5000 personnel working on the base and its operations cost around $2 billion each year. The base also offers its services overseas on US installations including South East Asia. The base also received the award of Shingo Prize for Operational Excellence in 2006 and more. The site of the base was first used in 1900 for storage purposes, later in World War II the site became the training site of anti-aircraft artillery. After the end of the war the site became one of 138 military reserved sites in the World. In 1951 the US Army Signal Corp designated the site for Tobyhanna Army Deport and it continued its services. Today the base has become the largest employer in northern Pennsylvania.

  • Naval Support Activity Mechanicsburg

    It is also known as NSA Mechanicsburg and Naval Support Activity Mechanicsburg. There are several naval bases in the state of Pennsylvania; it is a base of fair size as compare to other bases in the state. The base was established around 1940 and installation was settled to repair ships on the base but later the squadrons were expended to perform other operations, which included munitions management, naval engineering works and permanent maintenance of the ships. The primary function of the base is to provide support, maintenance services and take additional responsibilities of troops and ships arriving at the base. The base is also responsible to provide housing to troops at the base. Today Capt. James W. Smart commands the NSA Mechanicsburg.

    Some of the responsibilities of the base are transferred to other bases, especially chemical and petroleum related operations; for instance Defense Supply Center Richmond in the state of Virginia. Some operations on the base have also been transferred to private contractors preferably ships related operations and works.

    Naval Support Activity Mechanicsburg Naval Support Activity Mechanicsburg

    Mechanicsburg Mechanicsburg training

    The base was once home to railway station and it was widely used during American Civil War to transport troops and supplies. Even today around six trains move on these tracks in Mechanicsburg everyday. Later the station was taken under use by Naval Support Activity. The tracks of the stations played major role in the development of NSA Mechanicsburg. The city is also home to other bases and the NSA Mechanicsburg is very close to the base.

    The base comprise of around 5000 military personnel and civilians including people from contracted companies working on the base. The largest number of employees belongs to Naval Inventory Control Point while Navy Supply Information Systems Activity contains second largest number of employees. The staff on the base also belongs to Naval Supply Systems Command.

  • Carlisle Barracks

    Pennsylvania Carlisle Barracks is a US Army training facility in the city of Carlisle in the state of Pennsylvania. It is also known as Carlisle Barracks and it offers US military war college. The US Army War College was shifted to Carlisle Barracks from Washington Barracks in 1951 and has been the center of high command since then. The war college has offered its training services to some of the best US Army officers. The college was transferred to larger building, comprising of Strategic Institute and Military History Institute.

    The base was built in 1757 and it operates under the command of US Army Training and Doctrine Command. It is also the second oldest military base ofUnited States. The base also played major role in Civil War as it become the center of supplies such as horses, weapons, equipments and more. The barrack was operated under the command of Capt. Daniel H. Hastings. The base was deployed with larger army unit and fought major war to defend the base.

    Carlisle Barracks
    Carlisle BarracksCarlisle BarracksCarlisle Barracks

    Today the base offersMedicalFieldServiceSchoolestablished in 1920 under the command of Col. Percy M. Ashburn. The school developed numerous medical instruments during World War I, which were widely used by US Army. The medical school is in service for more than 26 years and around 30,000 officers and medical students have graduates fromMedicalFieldServiceSchool. The students are given special medical training especially designed for warfare.

    The base also offered other kinds of schools includingArmyInformationSchoolandAdjutant GeneralSchoolfor army lawyers, which makes Carlisle Barrack home to some of the best training facilities in the state. The base also had Army Security Agency School, which was replaced in 1949 after two years of service. The war college was expended several times and several changes have been made for improvements.