After a decade of overseeing Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in the National Capital Region, the U.S. Navy is handing over primary authority for the base to the Air Force.
In a memorandum signed Wednesday, officials symbolically transferred the base, located in Washington, D.C., to the Air Force, according to a release. The base will be under Air Force control as of October, the start of a new fiscal year, it adds.
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"More than half of the mission sets on JBAB fall under the Air Force, so it made sense for us to assume the responsibility for prioritizing installation and mission-support resourcing at the base," said Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Stephen Wilson in the announcement.
In 2010, Naval Support Facility-Anacostia and Bolling Air Force Base merged under the Navy following the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission enacted by Congress.
Under the latest plan, officials have relocated the Air Force District of Washington's 11th Wing -- previously assigned to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland -- to Bolling. The Air Force District of Washington reports directly to the Air Force chief of staff.
While the transfer occurred June 12, it will take the next two years for the 11th to reach full operating capability, the service said.
At JBAB, the 11th will be responsible for "all subordinate group and squadron functions to support host-unit requirements for the wing and its approximately 70 mission partners," the release states. Ceremonial units such as the official Air Force Honor Guard and Air Force Band reside at Bolling.
As a result of the wing move, officials have reactivated the 316th Wing at Andrews. The 316th was previously the host wing for the Maryland base from 2006 to 2010.
The Navy will begin a "resource transfer" of more than 900 "appropriated and nonappropriated … civilian positions and $645 million to the Air Force for 11th Wing and mission partner-support requirements," the release adds.
Air Force Col. Mike Zuhlsdorf, the JBAB installation commander, assumed command of the 11th during a ceremony earlier this month.
-- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @oriana0214.
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