The base supports five active duty P-3 Orion subhunter patrol squadrons, as well as two reserve squadrons. Since the end of the Cold War, the propeller-driven surveillance aircraft have adapted to the war on terror through operational support in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Economic impact:
The Navy base is one of Maine’s biggest employers, providing about 4,800 military and civilian personnel, and putting approximately $187 million into the local economy, including $115 million in salaries.
Upgrades
The Navy has spent more than $100 million over the past four years, building 126 housing units, a 500-bed barracks, a new control tower and a six-bay hangar, as well as resurfacing the runways and making infrastructure improvements.
Argument for staying open:
It’s the closest active air base to European shipping lanes and supports Bath Iron Works and the Navy’s winter survival school near Rangeley. There also are plans for an Armed Forces Reserve training center on the base.
Trivia
The base was created on a plot of land willed to the needy people of Brunswick for the sole purpose of picking blueberries.
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