Air Station Barbers Point

Naval Air Station Barbers Point is located in Kapolei on the island of O'ahu, Hawaii. The site was targeted during the December 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor. The United States Navy acquired the airfield in early 1943. Construction and development of the facility was conducted by the 5th, 13th, 64th, and 133rd Naval Construction Battalions. On June 18, 1952, the adjacent Marine Corps Air Station Ewa was closed and merged into Barbers Point to provide space for jet aircraft operations.

Historically, the station hosted multiple units and operations. In 1972, the United States Army stationed the 147th Assault Support Helicopter Company at the facility, which operated CH-47 Chinooks in support of the 25th Infantry Division and United States Army Pacific. The Joint Casualty Resolution Center relocated to the base from Thailand in May 1976. During the 1970s, Patrol Wing 2 operated P-3B Orions and C-130F Hercules aircraft from the station.

The Department of Defense closed Naval Air Station Barbers Point in 1999 under Base Realignment and Closure actions. Following the Navy’s departure, the P-3C Orion aircraft of Patrol Wing Two relocated to Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay. The airfield was transitioned to civilian use and renamed Kalaeloa Airport / John Rodgers Field.

Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point remains active at the site and serves as the only Coast Guard air station within the 14th US Coast Guard District. The unit operates HH-65 Dolphin helicopters and HC-130H Hercules aircraft. Infrastructure at the site includes the former aircraft intermediate maintenance facility, which has been converted into a film and television production studio for the Hawaii State Film Office. The Department of Defense identified 35 sites of soil or groundwater contamination on the base; as of 2017, 34 of these sites had undergone cleanup and remain under long-term monitoring or restrictions.