![Nebraska Avenue Complex 2017b](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2a/Nebraska_Avenue_Complex_2017b.jpg)
Nebraska Avenue Complex (also called NAC), located at 3801 Nebraska Avenue NW in, Washington D.C. It was the former headquarters of the
Mount Vernon Seminary and the
Navy Communication Security Section and other
U.S. military
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is the ...
organizations. Currently it houses the
United States Department of Homeland Security
The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the Federal government of the United States, U.S. United States federal executive departments, federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the I ...
. The site is located at
AU Park and is bound by Nebraska and
Massachusetts Avenue Massachusetts Avenue may refer to:
* Massachusetts Avenue (metropolitan Boston), Massachusetts
** Massachusetts Avenue (MBTA Orange Line station), a subway station on the MBTA Orange Line
** Massachusetts Avenue (MBTA Silver Line station), a stati ...
.
History
Facility for Department of the Navy and National Security Agency
Between 1917 and 1942, the complex housed Mount Vernon Seminary. By the end of 1942, the
United States Department of the Navy
The United States Department of the Navy (DoN) is one of the three military departments within the Department of Defense of the United States of America. It was established by an Act of Congress on 30 April 1798, at the urging of Secretary o ...
took over the buildings, and formally acquired the land for $1.1 million US dollars on July 20, 1943. After they acquired the land, the area was renamed to the Communications Supplementary Annex.
Between February 1943 and July 1946, the Annex housed the
Communication Security Section, which was relocated from the
Main Navy Department building in
Washington, D.C.
)
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, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
It changed to Navy Communications Station (also known as NAVCOMMSTA Washington (NCSW)) on July 7, 1948, and was redesignated as the Naval Security Station (NAVSECSTA) on September 21, 1950. Between June 1943 and December 1949, the Annex also housed
Naval Code and Signals Laboratory
A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It includ ...
.
In September 1950, the Communications Security Group and the Communications Supplementary Activity Washington, merged to officially form the establishment of the
Naval Security Group, headquartered at NAVSECSTA. From 1951 onwards, the Station housed
Armed Forces Security Agency
The National Security Agency (NSA) is a national-level intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense, under the authority of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI). The NSA is responsible for global monitoring, collectio ...
units and after creation of the
National Security Agency
The National Security Agency (NSA) is a national-level intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense, under the authority of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI). The NSA is responsible for global monitoring, collecti ...
(NSA) in 1952, the Station housed NSA headquarters and its Security Branch, Naval Communications Division.
In 1956, NSA Security Branch, Naval Communications Division was redesigned into Naval Security Group Headquarters Activity. By 1961 it changed to Naval Security Group Headquarters, Washington D.C. and in 1968 to Naval Security Group Command, Washington D.C. In 1971 it was redesigned as Naval Security Group Command Headquarters.
The Communication Security Group (COMNAVSECGRU) headquarters staff officially moved from NAVSECSTA to
Fort George G. Meade
Fort George G. Meade is a United States Army installation located in Maryland, that includes the Defense Information School, the Defense Media Activity, the United States military bands#Army Field Band, United States Army Field Band, and the head ...
in November 1995.
Naval Computer and Telecommunications Command
Naval Computer and Telecommunications Command (COMNAVCOMTELCOM) was located at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue (Washington, D.C.), Massachusetts Avenue and Nebraska Avenue within Nebraska Avenue Complex in Washington, D.C.
See also
*Nava ...
was present in the area between December 1990 and August 2001.
![Remarks by the President After Visit with Employees at Nebraska Avenue Homeland Security Complex](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3f/Remarks_by_the_President_After_Visit_with_Employees_at_Nebraska_Avenue_Homeland_Security_Complex.jpg)
On October 16, 1998 Naval Security Station officially disestablished and became the Nebraska Avenue Complex. From 1998 to 2005, the Complex was home to Naval Center for Cost Analysis, Naval District Washington Public Safety, Director of Strategic Systems Programs, Office of Civilian Personnel Management and the
Navy International Programs Office.
Department of Homeland Security headquarters
In 2002, the Complex housed Office of Homeland Security, established the year prior. After it was reformed into the United States Department of Homeland Security, the Nebraska Avenue Complex became the main headquarters for the department. Since 2005, the Nebraska Avenue Complex has been owned by the
General Services Administration
The General Services Administration (GSA) is an independent agency of the United States government established in 1949 to help manage and support the basic functioning of federal agencies. GSA supplies products and communications for U.S. gover ...
. DHS operations were soon spread across several dozen buildings in the Washington area, however, as the Complex could only accommodate a small portion of its total staff. This prompted a search for a larger headquarters, leading to the purchase of
St. Elizabeths Hospital West Campus in 2007, but as of 2019, construction and renovation was still underway, and only some personnel had been transferred.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nebraska Avenue Complex
Government buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington, D.C.
United States Department of Homeland Security
Buildings of the United States government in Washington, D.C.