The US Navy has some of the largest bases by land area in the United States military. As both the US Navy and US Marine Corps are part of the Department of the Navy, their bases will be combined for the purposes of this article. Navy and Marine bases can be used for ships, but they also include air stations for their massive air wings, as well as Army-style training grounds for US Marines. The exact ranking of bases by acreage varies depending on what is included.
When the base is focused on amphibious-based warfare, such as Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, there is always a very significant aviation component to these bases. Even without the United States Air Force, the aviation arms of the US Navy, Marine Corps, and the US Army are among the most powerful in the world. While the USAF almost exclusively operates fixed-wing planes and the Army almost exclusively operates rotary aircraft, the Navy and Marines operate mixed fleets.
7
Marine Corps Base Quantico
Around 55,000 acres
Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia covers around 55,000 acres and is a key installation for Marine Corps officer training. The U.S. Marine Corps’ Combat Development Command is based at Quantico and is the home of the Marine Corps Officer Candidates School. Notably, the FBI Academy, the main training facility of the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the US Army Criminal Investigation Division are also based at Quantico.
The main air facility is the Marine Corps Air Facility Quantico, which was first commissioned in 1919. Notably, the station is home to the Marine Helicopter Squadron One (HMX-1), which is tasked with flying around the President of the United States. Whereas the call sign for the US President flying on a USAF aircraft is ‘Air Force One,’ the corresponding callsign is ‘Marine One’ when flying on a Marine Corps aircraft.
Aircraft based at Quanitco include Sea King, Black Hawk, and White Hawk helicopters, as well as MV-22 Osprey tiltrotors. Besides the US President, the squadron is also tasked with transporting the Vice President of the United States, Department of Defense officials, and other VIPs as directed. The base is located close to the Potomac River near Maryland and is a short flight south of Washington DC.
6
Naval Base Coronado
Around 57,000 acres
Naval Base Coronado spans around 57,000 acres spread over eight geographically separate sites, including Naval Air Station North Island, which is one of the Navy’s most important naval air stations. Naval Air Station North Island is the largest aerospace-industrial complex in the US Navy and is also the home port of many of the Navy’s most important warships, including aircraft carriers.
NAS North Island hosts 23 aviation squadrons. Tenant squadrons include multiple Helicopter Sea Combat Squadrons and Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadrons. Other squadrons include fleet logistics squadrons. It is a major base for the Marine Corps’ MH-60S Seahawk and MH-60R Seahawk naval helicopters. MV-22 Ospreys can also be seen at the base.
Not making it onto this list of the largest Navy bases by land area, but worth noting is NAS Whidbey Island in the State of Washington. Whidbey Island is special for hosting all EA-18G squadrons, except for the VAQ-141 squadron based at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in Japan.
5
Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton
Around 125,000 acres
Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is a fully US Marine Corps base, although there are US Navy units there. At around 125,000 acres, it is one of the largest Marine bases and is used by the West Coast Corps for training and amphibious staging. Sometimes, Marine training is aviation-focused, resembling something closer to an air force, but the training has more in common with the US Army.
Camp Pendleton houses the 1st Marine Division and I Marine Expeditionary Force, and is home to approximately 70,000 people. Like all major US military bases, aviation remains an important part of the base. The field located within the camp is Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton and is home to the Marine Aircraft Group 39. The airfield is also known as Munn Field.
Squadrons include seven light attack helicopter squadrons equipped with AH-1Z Viper, AH-1W Super Cobras, and UH-1Y Venom helicopters, and two medium tilt-rotor squadrons equipped with MV-22 Ospreys. It also has a squadron with UC-12W Huron transport aircraft, a logistics squadron, and Group 41 with RQ-21 Blackjack UAVs.
4
Marine Corps Base (MCB) Camp Lejeune
Around 156,000 acres
Marine Corps Base (MCB) Camp Lejeune in North Carolina is a sprawling Marine base spanning around 156,000 acres that also has some Navy units based there. It is a major East Coast amphibious training base and includes the adjacent Marine Corps Air Station New River, Camp Geiger, Stone Bay, Courthouse Bay, Camp Johnson, and the Greater Sandy Run Training Area.
Marine Corps Air Station New River is a major helicopter and tilt-rotor base. It has around six MV-22 Osprey squadrons and three CH-53E Super Stallion or King Stallion squadrons. Other squadrons include logistics, a light attack helicopter squadron with AH-1Z Vipers/UH-1Y Venoms, and others.
The Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 461, located at the base, became the first Marine unit to operate the CH-53E Super Stallion in 2022. It was also the first Marine Corps base to operate the revolutionary new MV-22 Osprey, which has replaced the older CH-46E Sea Knights.
The US Marines’ Top 10 Military Aircraft By Fleet Size
Marine Corps aviation stands at the forefront of expeditionary air power, check out the top 10 aircraft that the Marines rely on in 2025.
3
Naval Air Station Fallon
Around 240,000 acres
Naval Air Station Fallon and the Fallon Range Training Complex (FRTC) span around 224,000 to 240,000 acres, depending on how the base is measured. Much of the land is BLM land used or managed by the Navy. Fallon is the primary air warfare training base and was made famous in the movie Top Gun. Naval Air Station Fallon is fully a Navy base.
The Navy states that it is “home to the Fighting Saints of VFC-13, the Desert Outlaws of Strike Fighter Wing Pacific, and the Naval Strike Air Warfare Center,” adding that “NAS Fallon serves as the Navy’s premier tactical air warfare training center.” Tenant squadrons include training squadrons like the Fighter Composite Squadron VFC-13 (‘Fighting Saints’) that provide adversary training. Most squadrons are visiting strike fighters, electronic attack, helicopter combat, and other squadrons.
It is known by the Navy as the only facility where an entire carrier air wing can conduct comprehensive training, while also integrating every element of the wing into realistic battle scenarios. Notably, Fallon is home to the Navy’s longest runway, measuring 14,000 feet, and it has more than 300 clear flying days in any calendar year.
Where Are The US Navy’s Most Advanced F-35C Fighter Jets Based?
Discover where the US Navy’s elite F-35C fighter jets are stationed, their cutting-edge capabilities, and their pivotal operational roles.
2
Marine Corps Air–Ground Combat Center (MCAGCC) — Twentynine Palms
Around 705,000 acres
Southern California is home to the country’s largest Navy and Marine bases. Marine Corps Air–Ground Combat Center (MCAGCC) — Twentynine Palms spans some 705,000 acres, although exact numbers vary depending on whether the figure is describing the range or also the cantonment. Some estimates put its size at 598,400 acres.
The base is 100% Marine, although Navy units may train there. The site is the largest the Marines possess, and is used for massive live-fire and maneuver training ranges. The base is home to over 8,000 personnel, down from a peak of over 10,000 in 1990. A squadron based at Twentynine Palms is the Marine Wing Support Squadron 374, which is responsible for the day-to-day operations at the Twentynine Palms Expeditionary Airfield.
Like the largest Navy base (listed below) and the Air Force’s important Edwards Air Force Base, Twentynine Palms Base is located in the Mojave Desert of Southern California. Among the Marine Corps units based there are the 7th Marine Regiment, 3rd Battalion, and the 11th Marines 3rd LAR Battalion.
1
Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake
Around 1,100,000 acres
The largest Navy installation on land is Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake in California. It is located in the Western Mojave Desert region of California, around 150 miles north of Los Angeles. At over one million acres, the range is larger than the state of Rhode Island. Tenant squadrons include the Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 9 and the Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 31. Aircraft assigned to these squadrons include F/A-18s, E/A-18G, F-16s, and MH-60 helicopters.
The base is 100% Navy, and it is a range complex. China Lake is the Navy’s single largest landholding and is used for extensive weapons tests and training. It is primarily used for Research, Development, Test & Evaluation of air weapons. The holding is so large that it represents around 85% of the Navy’s land for RDT&E use and some 38% of the Navy’s total land holdings, including holdings overseas.
The site was originally known as the Naval Ordnance Test Station. Around 95% of the land is undeveloped, although it has over 2,000 buildings and other facilities, around 330 miles of paved roads, and another 1,800 miles of unpaved roads. The site is located close to the Air Force’s important Edwards Air Force Base.
