What you need to know about NAS Pensacola reopening to the public

Jim Little, Pensacola News Journal
·6 min read
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After more than three years, Naval Air Station Pensacola will reopen its west gate to allow the public to access the National Naval Aviation Museum, Pensacola Lighthouse, and Fort Barrancas beginning on May 17.

NAS Pensacola base commander Capt. Terrence Shashaty told reporters Wednesday that the safety and security of the personnel at the base and members of the visiting public remain the top priority.

"The decision to allow public visitation to NAS Pensacola has been an ongoing effort, as you all know, for quite some time," Shashaty said. "It's been an ongoing effort requiring all levels of approval within the Navy to ensure that we have the proper safety security protocols in place."

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What did it take to reopen NAS Pensacola?

Shashaty thanked Florida's federal, state and local lawmakers and officials for their efforts to help reopen the base.

"There was a lot of work done locally," Shashaty said. "But as we ended up having a game plan in place, we had to bring that up through my chain of command within the Navy to get approval at all those different levels."

Under Secretary of the Navy, Erik Raven, signed the wavier to allow U.S. civilians access to certain portions of NAS Pensacola on Monday, Shashaty said.

Shashaty officially sent the waiver request to his chain of command in June 2022.

"The reason why that takes so long is it's a process," Shashaty said. "The previous exception of policy was allowed to expire. So we had to go through that whole process again to ensure our security protocols are what are required and needed to make sure the safety and security installation is in place."

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Shashaty said the team at NAS Pensacola had to prove to the Navy it could keep the base secure while allowing civilian access.

"There wasn't any one thing that got us over the hump," Shashaty said. "It's just constant contact and communication and coordination with all of our partners, both locally and all the way up through the Navy."

Why was NAS Pensacola closed?

NAS Pensacola closed public access after the 2019 terrorist attack on the base that left three dead and injured eight others. The waiver that allowed the base to have an exception to the access policy for Department of Defense installations was set to expire the same month as the attack. The Navy opted to allow the waiver to expire, setting up the complicated process to restore access.

NAS Pensacola holds a unique place in the community as it is also the location of several attractions like the Pensacola Lighthouse and Naval Aviation Museum.

What does restored access mean for the National Naval Aviation Museum and Pensacola Lighthouse?

Both organizations are funded with private donations and require the visitors to be able to continue in operation.

Leaders of both the National Naval Aviation Museum and Pensacola Lighthouse said the restoration of access meant continued survival.

"We don't operate on federal dollars," Pensacola Lighthouse and Maritime Museum Executive Director Jon Hill said. "We operate on donations, earned income. and so for us, it means addressing deferred maintenance and preservation issues."

National Naval Aviation Museum Director retired Navy Capt. Sterling Gilliam said that the museum has not operated at the same levels it did in 2019 since the base closed.

"Even though we were technically closed to the general public, we still put 240,000 people through the museum last year," Gilliam said. "That's the good news. The bad news is in 2019, we put three-quarters of a million people through. So we're very excited about returning to being a forceful part of this great community."

Reopening the museum to the public is also restoring the sense of identity for Pensacola, retired Rear Adm. Kyle Cozad, CEO of the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation, said.

"It's not as much about money as it is about relationships," Cozad said. "When you think about the community of Pensacola, the surrounding counties, this museum, this base is an identity for them. So, this gives us an opportunity to rekindle that relationship."

Cozad said has cost the museum about $5 million in lost revenue since the base was closed, but the museum has continued improving.

"We just haven't sat back in the corner and felt sorry for ourselves," Cozad said. "We wanted to make this museum bigger and better for when folks have that opportunity to come. And as Capt. Shashaty said that day is going to come on the 17th of May."

What do civilians need to get access to NAS Pensacola?

Things won't be exactly how they were in 2019. New barriers have been installed on roads on base that limit where civilian cars are allowed to travel.

Civilians must enter the base at the west gate off Blue Angel Parkway and must show a REAL D-compliant identification to be allowed on base. REAL ID driver's licenses or identification cards can be identified by the presence of a star in the upper right of the card.

Without a REAL ID, people must bring a certified copy of their birth certificate, social security card and driver's license. If someone's name has changed from how it appears on one of the documents, they must also bring name change documentation such as a marriage certificate or divorce decree.

Public access to the base will also be temporarily halted when parking at the museum and lighthouse becomes full.

Requirements to enter the base are tougher for foreign visitors who must be escorted by a U.S. citizen who has passed a background check. Foreign visitors who have not completed the U.S. military's Foreign Visits System Confirmation Module must bring either a permanent resident card, alien registration receipt card known as a Form 1-551 or have a passport that contains a temporary 1-551 stamp or temporary 1-551 printed notification on a machine-readable immigrant visa.

Where can civilians go on NAS Pensacola?

While on base, the public will be limited to visiting the Pensacola Lighthouse, Fort Barrancas and the National Naval Aviation Museum. Access to the Barrancas National Cemetery is still limited to family members of interred who must access the base through the main gate at the Visitor Control Center.

The following restrictions will apply to visitors during public access:

  • No weapons (firearms/knives) allowed (to include Concealed Weapon Permit holders)

  • No backpacks/coolers allowed (diaper bags or medically required bags are acceptable and subject to search)

  • No alcoholic beverages allowed

  • No drones allowed (countermeasures will be taken)

  • Persons with felony convictions are not authorized base access

  • No visitors with boats and boat trailers

  • All vehicles and personnel are subject to security searches and background checks

"We're excited to have everybody on board here," Shashaty said. "I have 100% confidence in my security team, as well as the first responders, to include our fire department and everybody on this installation to take an active role in the safety and security of the installation and the people that come on board here."

Shashaty said the public should also take an active role in security at the base.

"We're going to live by the 'See something, say something' motto," Shashaty said. "Don't hesitate to call something out if it's an issue, and then we'll address it."

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: NAS Pensacola, National Naval Aviation Museum to reopen to public