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26-629: Of the three Naval Weapons Stations on the U.S. East Coast, the Charleston facility is the largest. Under the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission 's recommendations, the Air Force is to jointly manage Naval Weapons Station Charleston and Charleston Air Force Base as Joint Base Charleston . Commissioned on November 5, 1941 as the United States Naval Ammunition Depot (NAD) consisted of 6,368 acres this

52-552: A $ 4 billion reduction in annual spending. Naval Consolidated Brig, Charleston The Naval Consolidated Brig (NAVCONBRIG CHASN), is a medium security U.S. military prison . The brig, Building #3107, is located in the south annex of Joint Base Charleston in the city of Hanahan, South Carolina . The Brig was commissioned on November 30, 1989 and accepted its first prisoners in January 1990. It has 400 cells and can hold 288 inmates. It houses prisoners from all branches of

78-401: A U.S. Marine Corps Security Force Company. During the 1960's through the early 1990's Submarine Group Six was headquartered in Charleston. Being the largest submarine group in the U.S. Navy, and one of the largest in the world, including five submarine squadrons in three home ports with five submarine tenders, more than 50 submarines and more than 18,000 active duty members. Of which 12,000 of

104-491: A child care facility, elementary and middle schools. A large medical clinic near NNPTC in Goose Creek was added in 2008. Today, Joint Base Charleston, encompassing over 20,877 acres and supporting 53 Military Commands and Federal Agencies, provides service to over 79,000 Airmen, Sailors, Soldiers, Marines, Coast Guardsmen, DOD civilians, dependents, and retirees. The former Charleston Naval Base has been transformed into

130-469: A multi-use Federal Complex (231 acres) with 17 Government and Military tenants, as well as homeport for 6 RO-RO Military Sealift Command Ships, 4 Coast Guard National Security Cutters (NSCs) , and 2 NOAA Research Ships. In October 2020, the Coast Guard purchased 166 acres and two piers on the former Naval complex to construct a super base, so as to consolidate all Charleston area facilities and become

156-454: A multi-use Federal Complex (231 acres) with 17 government and armed forces tenants, as well as homeport for 6 Roll-On/Roll-Off (RORO) Military Sealift Command Ships, 4 Coast Guard National Security Cutters , and 2 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Research Ships. NSA Charleston remains a Commander, Navy Installations Command administrative support installation assigned to Commander, Navy Region Southeast , located on

182-586: A sub tender were homeported at the Weapons Station, while one SSN attack squadron, Submarine Squadron 4 , and a sub tender were homeported at the Naval Base. At the 1996 closure of the Station's Polaris Missile Facility Atlantic (POMFLANT), over 2,500 nuclear warheads and their UGM-27 Polaris , UGM-73 Poseidon , and UGM-96 Trident I delivery missiles ( SLBM ) were stored and maintained, guarded by

208-677: A weapons storage site. The NAD's status changed from caretaker to inactive to maintenance to active from 1947 through 1952. During the mid-1950s, the installation was expanded, the Northside area, another 5,219 acres, was acquired by the Navy in January 1954 and called the Naval Weapons Station Annex and charged with new duties that included the handling of guided missiles and the docking, servicing and loading of submarines. Base personnel were tasked with arming submarines with

234-521: Is now the Station's Southside area including the Cooper River waterfront. The facility was used as an ammunition collection and distribution point during World War II. Ammunition manufactured throughout the country was sent to the base and then used to supply ordnance to Atlantic fleet vessels. Following WWII, the Depot was charged with the removal of ordnance from ships being deactivated and was used as

260-584: The US Armed Services and conducts the Navy's Violent Offender Treatment Program. It has been accredited by the American Correctional Association eleven times: 1992, 1995, 1998, 2001, 2004, 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2022, receiving 100% compliance on each correctional standard. The brig recently housed several enemy combatants , including Yasser Hamdi , José Padilla and Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri . Al-Marri

286-511: The 628th Air Base Wing, responsible to the Wing Commander for base installation support operations. In October 2020, the Coast Guard purchased 166 acres on the former Naval complex to construct a super base, so as to consolidate all Charleston area facilities and become the homeport for five Security cutters and five additional offshore cutters. The Base began construction in 2024. The former NAVBASE Charleston has been transformed into

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312-677: The Cold War, the Naval Base (1902–1996) became the third largest U.S. homeport serving over 80 ships and submarines. In addition, the Charleston Naval Shipyard repaired frigates, destroyers, cruisers, sub tenders, and submarines. The Shipyard was also equipped for the refueling of nuclear subs. During this period, the Weapons Station was the Atlantic Fleet's load out base for all "41 for Freedom" nuclear ballistic missile submarines . Two SSBN "Boomer" squadrons and

338-724: The Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission) disputed this claim, pointing out what it considered to be significant flaws in the Department's methodology. The Commission recalculated the 20-year savings of the DOD recommendation list at just above $ 37 billion. Between late May and late August, the Commission reviewed the list and amended many of the Pentagon's recommendations, removing several major installations from

364-856: The Joint Base Charleston Naval Weapons Station. NSA Charleston was reorganized as an "Embedded Military Unit" within the Joint Base Charleston 628th Air Base Wing . NSA Charleston Navy personnel are embedded into the Air Base Wing installation support squadrons to carry out their functions. After the creation of the Joint Base, the NSA Charleston Commanding Officer became the Deputy Commander of

390-659: The Station. The Navy designated the eastern half as the Marrington Plantation Outdoor Recreation Area and used the western half for the construction of MenRiv Housing and the adjacent support facilities. On September 30, 1981, the Station acquired the nearby Charleston Army Depot. The station's name was then changed to Naval Weapons Station South. In 1995 POMFLANT was decommissioned and the fleet ballistic missile operations moved to Kings Bay, Georgia. The Naval Nuclear Power Training Command school opened in 1998 and occupies over 50 acres in

416-678: The UGM-27 Polaris missile. In 1960 the Polaris Missile Facility Atlantic (POMFLANT) was constructed within the base to enable the handling of Terrier, Tarter, and, Hawk, missiles. Buildings were added again in 1969 for the Standard and Red Eye missiles. The base continued to grow through the 1970s, the Marrington area, an additional 2,894 acres located between Red Bank Road and Foster Creek, was added to

442-649: The active duty members were home ported in Charleston. The Naval Support Activity expanded its mission and Department of Defense support role over time with over 40 tenant commands, and today is a training center, with the Naval Nuclear Power Training Command (NNPTC), Nuclear Power Training Unit, Propulsion Facility, and Border Patrol satellite academy; Naval Consolidated Brig, Charleston ; Navy Munitions Command Unit Charleston; Explosive Ordnance Detachments; Marine Corps Reserve Center; Naval Information Warface Center Atlantic (NIWC-LANT,

468-554: The central part of the original Marrington tract. Under the 2005 BRAC the Naval Weapons Station was combined with Charleston Air Force Base to create Joint Base Charleston. Portions of The Charleston, South Carolina metropolitan area , (The City of Charleston, The City of North Charleston, The City of Goose Creek, and The City of Hanahan) are home to branches of the United States Military. During

494-464: The closure list. The Commission calculated the overall 20-year savings to the government in carrying out its amended list of recommendations as close to $ 15 billion. On May 12, 2005, Gen. Richard Myers , Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff , said that the two-year effort to produce the list had several objectives: The 2005 BRAC round was the fifth since the process was initiated in 1988, and

520-614: The fate of the bases in question to the United States Congress . Congress had a maximum of 45 days to reject the proposal by passing a joint resolution of disapproval, or the recommendations automatically enter into effect. Such a resolution (H.J.Res. 65) was introduced to the House of Representatives on September 23, 2005, by Rep. Ray LaHood (R-IL) (no such resolution was introduced in the Senate). The House took up debate of

546-505: The first since 1995. It differed significantly from preceding rounds in several respects: Major facilities slated for closure included these: Major facilities slated for realignment included these: By merging adjacent installations belonging to different services, 13 Joint Bases were created. The 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission resulted in a $ 35 billion increase in military spending, partly due to building new facilities. The military claimed, however, that it also resulted in

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572-635: The homeport for five NSCs and additional Offshore Patrol Cutters (OPCs) . The Coast Guard Base began construction in 2024 of the $ 160 million dollar project to build a new headquarters, renovate of one pier, and repair a shoreside bulkhead. Additional construction projects valued at $ 590 million dollars will be forthcoming. Also, a $ 60 million dollar contract was awarded to renovate the NOAA pier and construct shoreside power and warehouse facilities. 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission The 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission preliminary list

598-415: The largest employer in the Charleston area); 269 above-ground ammunition magazines, maintenance and storage of military ordnance including mines, and serves as an Army logistics hub, the busiest continental United States surface port in the defense transportation system. In addition, it contains more than 1,800 on-base houses for Navy enlisted and officer dependents as well as Coast Guard dependents, and has

624-511: The resolution on October 26, 2005. The resolution failed to pass by a 324–85 margin, thereby enacting the list of recommendations. The Secretary of Defense was required to begin implementing the recommendations by September 15, 2007, and to complete implementation no later than September 15, 2011. Pentagon officials calculated that, if adopted in full by the nine-member BRAC Commission, the recommendations would have saved almost $ 50 billion over 20 years. The BRAC Commission (officially known as

650-572: Was released by the United States Department of Defense on May 13, 2005. It was the fifth Base Realignment and Closure ("BRAC") proposal generated since the process was created in 1988. It recommended closing 22 major United States military bases and the "realignment" (either enlarging or shrinking) of 33 others. On September 15, 2005, President George W. Bush approved the BRAC Commission's recommendations, leaving

676-722: Was the last of the three to remain at the brig, being transferred to a civilian prison after he pleaded guilty in 2009. In October 2008 91 pages of memos drafted in 2002 by an officer at the brig became public. The memos indicate that officers were concerned that the isolation and lack of stimuli were driving Hamdi, Padilla and Al-Marri insane. On October 12, 2011, the Charleston Post and Courier reported on memos from E.P. Giambastiani to Charles Stimson Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Detainee Affairs , requesting that Hamdi, Padilla and al Marri be transferred to Guantanamo. The memos were from 2005. Giambastiani's request

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