Military Guide: Overview

17% of all Active Duty Naval personnel

live in San Diego County

San Diego is headquarters to the Navy Region Southwest, which provides Naval shore installation (i.e. Naval base) management for the Southwestern region of the U.S. (California, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, and New Mexico).

San Diego's Naval Presence includes four bases:

1) Naval Base San Diego (also known as 32nd Street): The principle home port for the Pacific Fleet, which consists of 46 ships, including two aircraft carriers, one Coast Guard cutter, seven Military Sealift Command logistical support platforms, several research and auxiliary vessels and 213 individual commands.

2) Naval Amphibious Base Coronado: NAB Coronado is actually three separate bases under one command structure, the North Island Air Station, Naval Amphibious Base, and OLF Imperial Beach. Naval SEAL training also trained and headquartered at NAB Coronado. 

3) Naval Base Point Loma: Originally founded in 1852 as an Army installation by President Millard Fillmore, NB Point Loma is now home to seven nuclear submarines and their support services. 

4) Naval Medical Center San Diego (also known as Balboa Naval Hospital): One of the Navy's largest medical centers, it provides care for the area's active duty personnel, their dependents, and retirees. It is also the location that the wounded from the Pacific Rim would receive extended or specialized medical care. There is also a naval hospital located on Camp Pendleton.

Did you know San Diego County....

• Has the largest concentration of military personnel in California, and California has the largest population of military personnel in the U.S.

• Makes up less than 1% of the population of the United States, BUT has about 8% of the total military population

• Has nine military bases

• Is home to nearly 236,000 veterans, the third largest concentration in the United States

• Gains new veteran residents each year? About 15,000 sailors and Marines stationed in San Diego leave the service, and it is estimated that half of them stay in the region.

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30% of all Active Duty Marine personnel

reside in San Diego County

San Diego's Marine Corps presence includes three Marine bases:

1) Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD): This is one of two basic training locations in the U.S. All the enlisted male recruits west of the Mississippi are trained at MCRD, and approximately 17.800 men graduate from Recruit Training each year. Additionally, MCRD San Diego is one of the city of San Diego's largest employers, over a third of whom are civilians.

2) Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton: MCBC Pendleton is the Marine's largest amphibious training facility. The I Marine Expeditionary Unit is based at Pendleton and includes the 1st Marine Division, the 3rd Aircraft Wing, and the 1st Marine Logistics Group. MCBC Pendleton utilizes 17 miles of coast and 125,000 acres to train the 37,000 Active Duty Marines stationed there. There are also 3,400 civilians employed at MCBC Pendleton. *

3) Marine Corps Air Station Miramar: MCAS Miramar is home to Marine Air Bases Western Area Headquarters, the 3rd Marine Aviation Wing, a large Combat Service Support Detachment and Marine Aircraft Group 46. Included in the aircraft stationed at MCAS Miramar are the F/A-18 Hornet, the MV-22 Osprey. MCAS Miramar was internationally known for the United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor Program, also known as TOPGUN, however that program was merged into the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center at the Naval Air Station Fallon, Nevada in 1996. *