VIRGINIA BEACH — The future of Naval Air Station Oceana is in the spotlight as Congresswoman Jen Kiggans, representing Virginia’s Second District, pushes for the basing of F-35 jets at the facility.
Stars and Stripes military news source published an opinion piece written by Kiggans on April 8. It highlighted her efforts.
Kiggans is a former Navy helicopter pilot whose last duty station was Oceana. She said that right now, every operational Navy F-35C squadron is stationed on the West Coast.
In an interview with News 3 reporter Angela Bohon, Kiggans emphasized the need to diversify Navy operations.
“It’s instrumental. I mean, we can’t solely put all of our eggs in one basket on the West Coast. We have to include the East Coast in these discussions, and Naval Air Station Oceana is the East Coast Master Jet Base.”
As the Navy prepares to retire older F/A-18 models, Kiggans argues that Oceana is the logical choice for hosting F-35s, the next generation of naval airpower.
“There’s a strategic laydown plan that the Navy will be discussing here in the near future. Right now, the plan is to start with squadrons 1-8 at Naval Air Station Lemoore, but I want Oceana to be in line for the squadrons after that,” she said.
If F-35s are brought to Oceana, it could have a significant economic impact on the area, including job creation and potential funding for base improvements.
“I know that we need infrastructure improvements,” Kiggans stated. “There’s a lot of housing improvements, childcare, just the facility needs that are present there. I know we can secure that funding easier if we have what’s the next generation of strike fighter air dominance capability.”
Naval Air Station Oceana Commanding Officer, Capt. Josh Appezzato sent the following statement:
“We appreciate Representative Kiggans’ continued advocacy for Naval Air Station. NAS Oceana is part of the fabric of its surrounding community, and as such, this partnership between the U.S. Navy and the City of Virginia Beach is of the highest importance. Any aviation plans and concerns expressed by legislation are thoroughly analyzed and responded to in a manner that conforms to Navy regulations. As always, NAS Oceana is standing by to support any direction from higher naval echelons regarding requirements and studies for the future basing of naval aviation assets.”
Kiggans also mentioned that the next step in the process is an environmental impact study. She is optimistic, recalling how Oceana successfully avoided Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) measures in the past.
“The fact that you know, we’ve moved the F-18s there, we can do this successfully. We’ve done it in the past. We just need that commitment from Navy leadership that this is where we are committed to putting the F-35s,” Kiggans added.
Virginia Beach Mayor Bobby Dyer and Vice Mayor Rosemary Wilson have previously expressed their support for bringing additional aircraft to Oceana through a resolution directed at the Navy.
