Rockets at the Kennedy Space Center
Surrounded by water, balmy Florida has historically attracted the air and sea branches of the military, and hosts some well-known Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard bases.
Navy
US Navy Blue Angels, Pensacola, FL
The Jacksonville Naval Air Station is the third largest naval installation in the United States. Other major naval facilities in Florida are NAS Pensacola, NAS Key West, NAS Whiting Field, Naval Surface Warfare Center, NS Mayport and the Center for Information Dominance Corry Station. Whiting Field in Pensacola is the busiest naval air station in the world.
Air Force
MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa is home to soldiers, sailors and Marines as well as being a major Air Force base. The base supports several unified commands including the US Central Command (USCENTCOM), which oversees Middle East operations, US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) and the NOAA Aircraft Operations Center.
Patrick Air Force Base in Cocoa Beach manages unmanned rocket launches at Cape Canaveral AFS. Other important bases in the Florida panhandle include Eglin AFB, Hurlburt Field AFB and Tyndall AFB.
Coast Guard
The Coast Guard patrols offshore in Florida.
The Coast Guard has six sectors in the southeastern Seventh District, and four of them are in Florida: Sectors Jacksonville, Key West, Miami and St. Petersburg. Several smaller coast guard offices are located throughout Florida.
Army
The Florida Army National Guard is equipped and trained by the U.S. Army at Camp Blanding in northern Florida near Starke.
Tags: Coast Guard, Florida Army, Force Base, Whiting Field