North Carolina is home to more than a dozen military bases spread across every branch of the armed forces, including Fort Bragg, Camp Lejeune, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, and a cluster of Coast Guard facilities on the coast. The state’s Atlantic coastline, deepwater ports, inland training ranges, and mild climate make it one of the most heavily garrisoned states in the country, supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs and a substantial share of the state’s economy.
Army Bases
Fort Bragg
Fort Bragg, near Fayetteville, is the centerpiece of the Army’s presence in the state and one of the largest military installations in the world by population. It covers roughly 161,000 acres across six counties and supports more than 50,000 active-duty soldiers along with thousands of civilian employees, contractors, and family members. The base briefly carried the name Fort Liberty between 2023 and early 2025 before being redesignated Fort Bragg in March 2025, this time honoring Private First Class Roland L. Bragg.1U.S. Department of War. Fort Liberty Becomes Fort Bragg, Renamed for Battle of Bulge Hero
Fort Bragg is home to the XVIII Airborne Corps and the 82nd Airborne Division, both built around rapid deployment and airborne operations.2U.S. Army Fort Bragg. XVIII Airborne Corps U.S. Army Special Operations Command and U.S. Army Reserve Command are also headquartered there. The John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, the Army’s Special Operations Center of Excellence, trains Special Forces, Civil Affairs, and Psychological Operations soldiers at Fort Bragg and the nearby Camp Mackall training site about 40 miles southwest.3United States Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School. Mission
Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point
On the west bank of the Cape Fear River in Brunswick County, Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point (MOTSU) is the largest military ocean terminal in the world. It spans more than 16,000 acres and serves as the transfer point between rail, trucks, and ships for ammunition, explosives, and equipment heading overseas. MOTSU is the Defense Department’s primary East Coast port for strategic ammunition shipments, operated by the Army’s 596th Transportation Brigade.4U.S. Transportation Command. A Look Inside the Worlds Largest Military Terminal
Marine Corps Bases
Camp Lejeune
Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, near Jacksonville, is the largest Marine Corps base on the East Coast and home to the biggest concentration of Marines and sailors in the world. The base occupies roughly 153,000 acres and includes 14 miles of Atlantic beachfront used for amphibious assault training.5MilitaryINSTALLATIONS. Camp Lejeune – Base Overview and Info Its primary tenant is the II Marine Expeditionary Force, which keeps combat-ready units prepared for deployment worldwide.6iimef.marines.mil. II Marine Expeditionary Force Unit Home U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) is also headquartered at Camp Lejeune.7MilitaryINSTALLATIONS. Camp Lejeune Major Units
MCAS New River
Marine Corps Air Station New River, adjacent to Camp Lejeune, is the Corps’ hub for rotary-wing and tiltrotor aircraft on the East Coast. The station flies the MV-22 Osprey, the CH-53E Super Stallion heavy-lift helicopter, and attack helicopters, providing assault transport and close air support to the ground forces next door.8Marine Corps Air Station New River. Aircraft
MCAS Cherry Point
Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, near Havelock, was commissioned in 1942 and hosts the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing. Its squadrons fly the AV-8B Harrier, the F-35B Lightning II, and KC-130J tanker-transports, among other aircraft.9Official U.S. Marine Corps Website. About Cherry Point also houses Fleet Readiness Center East, the Defense Department’s lead depot for F-35B maintenance, which also works on the Air Force’s F-35A and the Navy’s F-35C.10United States Navy. F-35 Project Expands Capabilities at FRCE
Air Force Bases
Seymour Johnson Air Force Base
Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, in Goldsboro, is home to the 4th Fighter Wing, which flies F-15E Strike Eagles. Two of its four squadrons are combat-ready operational units; the other two train every F-15E aircrew in the Air Force. The base also hosts the 916th Air Refueling Wing, an Air Force Reserve unit flying KC-46A Pegasus tankers.11Military OneSource. Seymour Johnson AFB The Dare County Range in eastern North Carolina is the primary training range for Seymour Johnson’s F-15E crews and is heavily used by Navy F/A-18 squadrons from Naval Air Station Oceana as well.12U.S. Department of Defense Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration Program. Dare County Range Project Profiles
Pope Field
Pope Field sits inside Fort Bragg near Fayetteville. Formerly Pope Air Force Base, it now operates under joint Army-Air Force agreements. Its Air Mobility Operations Group handles rapid strategic deployment for units assigned to the XVIII Airborne Corps and the 82nd Airborne Division, including combat airlift and aeromedical evacuation. This pairing is why the 82nd can put boots on the ground anywhere in the world within 18 hours of notification.13Pope Field. About Pope
North Carolina Air National Guard
The North Carolina Air National Guard runs two bases. Charlotte Air National Guard Base is home to the 145th Airlift Wing, which transitioned from the C-130 Hercules to the larger C-17 Globemaster III in 2018, giving it a global strategic airlift and airdrop mission.14145th Airlift Wing. About Us New London Air National Guard Base focuses on air support operations, providing weather services, combat communications, and tactical air control.15U.S. Air Force. North Carolina Air National Guard Benefits and Bases
Coast Guard Bases
With more than 300 miles of coastline, North Carolina has a substantial Coast Guard presence. Sector North Carolina, headquartered in Wilmington, oversees search and rescue, marine safety, port security, and maritime law enforcement across the state’s waters.
The largest Coast Guard complex is in Elizabeth City. Air Station Elizabeth City is one of the busiest Coast Guard air stations in the country, running search-and-rescue and law-enforcement patrols across a wide stretch of the Atlantic, including international waters.16United States Coast Guard. Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina Base Elizabeth City, co-located with the air station, provides logistics and engineering support to Coast Guard units throughout the state.17United States Coast Guard. Base Elizabeth City Command The Aviation Technical Training Center, also in Elizabeth City, trains maintenance personnel who then serve at all 26 Coast Guard aviation units nationwide.18United States Coast Guard. Aviation Technical Training Center Elizabeth City, NC
Smaller stations dot the coast, including Station Oak Island near the mouth of the Cape Fear River, which handles maritime safety and law enforcement along the southeastern coast.19United States Coast Guard. Station Oak Island, North Carolina
Visiting a Base as a Civilian
Since May 7, 2025, every federal and military installation requires visitors to present a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license or an acceptable alternative. A license without a star in the upper right corner will get you turned away at the gate.20Air Combat Command. REAL ID Compliance for Federal Installations
Acceptable IDs include a Common Access Card, a military dependent or retiree ID, a U.S. or foreign passport, a REAL ID-compliant license, a Transportation Worker ID Card, a Veteran’s Health ID Card, or a federal Personal Identity Verification card.21Defense Logistics Agency. Real ID Standards for Military Base Access Start May 7 Sometimes a non-compliant license can be combined with a secondary credential such as a passport card, but the details are set by each installation’s visitor control center.
For extended or recurring access, most bases use the Defense Biometric Identification System. Getting a DBIDS credential requires a sponsoring letter from a government organization, valid identification, and a background check that includes fingerprinting and a photo. Once approved, you get a credential for ongoing entry.22Commander, Navy Installations Command. DBIDS
Benefits for Veterans, Retirees, and Military Families in North Carolina
If you’re stationed here, retiring here, or moving with a service member, several state-level benefits are worth knowing about.
VA Medical Centers
North Carolina has four full VA medical centers in Asheville, Durham, Fayetteville, and Salisbury, plus community-based outpatient clinics across the state.23VA.gov. North Carolina Locations The Fayetteville facility sits a few miles from Fort Bragg’s main gates.
Military Retirement Pay Tax Deduction
North Carolina fully exempts qualifying military retirement pay from state income tax. If you served at least 20 years or were medically retired under federal law, you can deduct your entire military retirement payment from your North Carolina adjusted gross income. Survivor Benefit Plan payments to qualifying beneficiaries get the same treatment. The deduction has been available since tax year 2021 and was expanded in 2022 to cover retirees from NOAA and the U.S. Public Health Service commissioned corps.24NCDOR. Military Retirement
Disabled Veteran Property Tax Exclusion
Disabled veterans with a permanent, total, service-connected disability certified by the VA can exclude the first $45,000 of appraised value of a primary residence from property taxes. Unremarried surviving spouses of qualifying veterans are eligible for the same exclusion. You have to file an application by June 1 preceding the tax year for which you’re claiming the benefit.25North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina General Statutes Chapter 105 Taxation – 105-277.1C
Military Spouse Professional Licensing
If you’re a military spouse moving to North Carolina with an out-of-state professional license, state law requires occupational licensing boards to issue you a license as long as the previous state’s standards were substantially equivalent, you can demonstrate recent competency, and you’re in good standing with no disciplinary history. Boards can also issue a temporary practice permit while your full application is processed.26NC DHHS. North Carolina General Statutes 93B-15.1 – Licensure for Individuals With Military Training