Naval Air Station Key West

Naval Air Station (NAS) Key West is a United States Navy installation located on Boca Chica Key, Florida, four miles east of Key West. Operated by Navy Region Southeast, the base is an air-to-air combat training facility for fighter aircraft from all military services. Its mission includes supporting operational requirements for the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, and National Guard units.

The U.S. Navy established a facility in Key West in 1823 to suppress piracy. The site underwent expansion during the Mexican-American War and the Spanish-American War. In 1917, a naval submarine base was established on the main island, and construction began on a coastal air patrol station at Trumbo Point. The first naval flight from the location occurred in September 1917, and the facility was commissioned in December 1917. During World War I, the station functioned as a base for antisubmarine patrols and flight training. It was designated as Naval Air Station Key West in 1940. During World War II, satellite facilities were added, including runways on Boca Chica Key for land-based and carrier-based aircraft. The station was a center for reconnaissance and blockade operations during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

The installation hosts several tenant commands, including Fighter Squadron Composite 111 (VFC-111), which operates F-5N and F-5F aircraft, and a detachment of Strike Fighter Squadron 106 (VFA-106), which maintains F/A-18E/F Super Hornets. Other entities stationed at the base include Joint Interagency Task Force South (JIATF South), the U.S. Army Special Forces Underwater Operations School, and a U.S. Coast Guard sector.

Infrastructure consists of the main airfield at Boca Chica Field and auxiliary annexes including Truman Annex, Trumbo Point, and Sigsbee Park. The base manages the Key West Complex, a system of overwater Warning Areas equipped with the P5 Combat Training System/Tactical Combat Training System (P5CTS/TCTS) for tracking aerial maneuvers. The facility hosts detachments of P-3C, P-8A, E-2C, and E-2D aircraft for reconnaissance and training, along with Marine Corps and Air Force fighter and rescue squadrons.