Contact Information
Naval Air Station Kingsville is named after a nearby city located around 5 km away, in Texas. It is an advanced airport fitted with the latest technologies. It is operated by the United States Navy and only deals with military missions, regardless of their nature. The airport is generally used for inland operations. The location and the long distance make it unable to support missions over water. Although it is somehow limited from this point of view, the naval air station is among the primary training grounds for the United States Navy. It is normally used for jet aircrafts. The primary mission implies selecting and preparing professional pilots for both the Navy and the Marine Corps. Other than that, the aviation schools are also open for the allied countries of the United States of America, not to mention about the NATO members. The population on site is not that impressive. There are around 1,500 inhabitants and only 500 of them are actual military troops. There are also about 350 civilian workers, as well as more than 600 particular contractors for various services. The place is better known among the military troops for being the first one that benefited from the advanced Boeing T 45 Goshawk.
History
The history of NAS Kingsville dates back to 1941. At that time, some of the local officials found their place to be excellent for a military base, especially due to the climate and relief. It took them a few weeks to pick the spot and notify the Department of Defense. The presentation came a little before the Pearl Harbor attack, which forced the United States of America to join World War II. Although the idea was not that impressive for the Department of Defense, the Japanese attacks forced it to accept this idea, therefore the construction began right away. The base was officially opened half a year later. The groundbreaking ceremony was held on July, 7-th, 1942. The base played a major role throughout World War II. As the war reached to an end, it was not that useful anymore, therefore it was inactivated. It was given to the Kingsville officials and adopted a caretaker status.
In the modern age, the objectives of NAS Kingsville didn’t change too much. The base is still responsible for training operations, only that the students come from all over the world now, while the aircrafts have obviously been upgraded with the latest technologies.
Units
There are around seven units hosted on site, with the most important ones counting the Training Squadron 22 Golden Eagles, the Training Air Wing 2 or the Training Squadron 21 Redhawks. The 370-th Transportation Company or 158-th Aviation Regiment are just as important. Although its purpose is not really military, the Naval Branch Clinic plays a massive role in the good going of the military base.
Aside from the seven major units hosted at NAS Kingsville, there are a few other temporary units deployed there for limited periods of time. They are not as significant though.
