Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) is a

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...

aviation repair and maintenance facility located in

Havelock, North Carolina Havelock is a city in Craven County, North Carolina, Craven County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 20,735 at the 2010 census. The city is home to Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, the world's largest United States Marine C ...

Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point or MCAS Cherry Point (*) is a United States Marine Corps airfield located in Havelock, North Carolina, United States, in the eastern part of the state. It was built in 1941, and was commissioned in 1942 and ...

. FRC East is one of nine main subsidiaries of the Navy's Fleet Readiness Center Command

History

FRC East began operations during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

as the Assembly and Repair Department(A&R) at MCAS Cherry Point, N.C. The A&R covered more than 500,000 square feet when it opened Dec. 16, 1943. During the 1960s, FRC East greatly expanded floor space to accommodate more room for repairing aircraft. In April 1967 it became known as the Naval Air Rework Facility, a separate command under the

Naval Air Systems Command The Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) provides materiel support for aircraft and airborne weapon systems for the United States Navy. It is one of the Echelon II Navy systems commands (SYSCOM), and was established in 1966 as the successor to the ...

. Subsequently, the facility was renamed Naval Aviation Depot Cherry Point in March 1987. In 1990 for

Desert Shield The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a Coalition of the Gulf War, 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Ba'athist Iraq, ...

operations, FRCE provided engines, components, aircraft, ground support equipment and squadron support as well as field team deployments to various locations. Following the

2005 Base Realignment and Closure The 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission preliminary list was released by the United States Department of Defense on May 13, 2005. It was the fifth Base Realignment and Closure ("BRAC") proposal generated since the process was created in ...

, the facility was realigned and its name changed to Fleet Readiness Center East in October 2006. FRC East in 2017 received its first F35C Lighting II and successfully modified and upgraded it, showcasing its work as a depot-level aviation maintenance site for the F35. As of 2017, FRC East is the largest industrial employer in

Eastern North Carolina Eastern North Carolina (sometimes abbreviated as ENC) is the region encompassing the eastern tier of North Carolina. It is known geographically as the state's Coastal Plain region. Primary subregions of Eastern North Carolina include the Sandhil ...

. FRC East's workforce consists of 4200

Marines Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refle ...

, Sailors and Civilians with an annual revenue exceeding $720 million.

Responsibility

Fleet Readiness Center East, one of the six Fleet readiness centers operated by the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...

, has been in operation since the 1940s, supporting the long-term sustainment of

vertical lift aircraft Vertical is a geometric term of location which may refer to: * Vertical direction, the direction aligned with the direction of the force of gravity, up or down * Vertical (angles), a pair of angles opposite each other, formed by two intersecting s ...

by performing maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) functions on airframes, engines, and components. In addition to Repair and Maintenance functions, FRC East also provide engineering and logistics support to many Navy/Marine Corps platforms.

References

{{reflist 1943 establishments in North Carolina United States naval aviation Fleet Readiness Centers Buildings and structures in Craven County, North Carolina

History

Responsibility

See also

References