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Navy Secretary Commits To Further NAS Pensacola Museum Access
April 29, 2023
Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro committed to taking further action to allow public access to the museum on Naval Air Station Pensacola, including access to the museum without entering through the base.
His comments came in response to an inquiry from Congressman Matt Gaetz during a House Armed Services Committee hearing in Washington on the Navy’s 2024 budget request.
Del Toro told Gaetz that the Department of the Navy is focused and actively working on near-term and long-term solutions to maximize public access to the National Naval Aviation Museum.
“Congressman, I’ve been working with you, your staff, local politicians, and the leadership of that museum actually to try to get the throughput through that museum open as quickly as possible,” Del Toro said. “We’ve come up with some near term solutions, but we’re also focused on finding the long term solutions that actually bring it back to maximum throughput for that museum for all the reasons that you just stated because it is an extraordinary museum.”
“Where I at times struggle with folks is seeing the museum not just as a morale and welfare tool, but as a recruiting tool. Do you see it as a recruiting tool,” Gaetz asked.
“I absolutely see it as a recruiting tool,” Del Toro replied. “I saw it from the first day that I stepped in it. We have actually been very energized, and we’ve come up with some near-term solutions to increase the throughput that already paid off dividends, but we’re also looking at the long term solutions that are a little bit more costly to be able to provide a direct access to the outside world without having to have folks come in through the base itself.”
Gaetz responded, “Well, thank you for casting in that lens because if it’s a matter of dollars and cents, and I have to ask my colleagues to support such an endeavor in the NDAA, I’ll certainly cite your testimony that this isn’t just a museum for the sake of recreation, but it is a way to engage people in naval aviation in a place that’s the home of the Blue Angels – the cradle of naval aviation.”
Comments
16 Responses to “Navy Secretary Commits To Further NAS Pensacola Museum Access”
Access to the National Museum of Naval Aviation is purely a leadership issue, not a security problem. SecNav and CNO simply need to say “Open the gates to museum visitors.” Museum patrons were not part of the security issue in the classroom shooting. They can be funneled to the museum with a dedicated two lanes, separated from the rest of the road by concrete barriers in and out. A few road monitoring cameras would provide a secondary defense mechanism to identify breaching vehicles and people jumping out of cars. This has never been a hard issue, but some leadership is required from Washington to step forward. Building a bridge over the bayou and an elevated car bridge road to the museum parking lot would take way too much money, but paving an extra lane and putting in barriers is very doable.
The incident that caused the security fracas was caused by three Middle Eastern student pilots, who should have been vetted better before being allowed into the training program. Local civilians had nothing to do with it, and should not be closed off from the base because of it. We should have access to the Museum and the base’s other attractions. Not to mention that many of our relatives are buried at Barrancas National Cemetery. Vet the foreign pilots better and stop taking it out on civilians. JMO.
Your tax dollars pay for the civilian personnel and part of the operating budget. Private donations to the museum’s foundation and earned income through the foundation’s store, etc. pay for the other part. In addition, there are significant volunteer hours donated to the museum to further its mission. Anyone who doesn’t believe that the museum is funded partially with tax dollars should just keep a USA Jobs alert open for jobs at the museum. Those are all funded through CIVPERS.
As to people “not having any security for their neighborhood”, stop hyperventilating. Of course there is security for the neighborhood.
And thanking Congressman Gaetz is ridiculous. He’s one of the least important people in this process. But I’m happy he got to grandstand a little about something he already knew was being solved.
I am glad to hear SECNAV is working towards opening up the museum more. I love taking family and friends. But I hear a lot of comments as to where the funds come from. A lot of you are incorrect. Take a minute to explore the website. Navalaviationfoundation.org. Almost all of the funding comes from donations; corporate and private. Not tax dollars. A lot of the people working at the museum are volunteers. I am proud to have this museum, but I unfortunately get very aggravated with people spouting off untruths. I have heard lots of people on the base who also wants it opened back up. But from the view point of someone who was on NAS that fateful day and remembering other incidents around the world in the past, I am thankful for the extra security.
@William Wallace
A quick internet search would let you know that you have been misinformed. This is taken directly from the Naval Aviation Museum Foundations website “ The Naval Aviation Museum Foundation is a 501(c)(3) for-cause organization and is responsible for fundraising and development to support those one-of-a-kind experiences.”
So no, it’s not supported by our taxes.
Anytime the subject comes up for discussion, it sure is fun to watch those with the most ignorance screaming the loudest! The Museum is NOT funded with YOUR tax money or anyone else’s tax money, try educating yourself before making ignorant statements. It’s not a very attractive look.
Before anyone talks about manning a gate, moving fences, or adding more manpower to protect the base from CIVILIANS coming aboard; someone needs to stop and think a minute about PRIORITIES. The gate at Corry Mall has been wide open and in addition to Military Families not having any security for their neighborhood; you also have elderly retirees picking up medication at the satellite pharmacy with absolutely no security what-so-ever. It should be a priority to reestablish some security for the families and retirees that live in an unsecured area instead of worrying about some civilians NEEDING to get on base to look at items at the museum. PRIORITIES people, priorities!
@Ralph Lee—I think you are mistaken, as one way or another the Museum is supported by some departments taxpayer funded dollars, & also partly by Corporate sponsors. So just who according to you, does pay for the Museum and its upkeep, if not to some extent by taxpayer dollars?
Love the museum. I’m hoping they can find a solution to getting the museum reopened soon. Wouldn’t it be wise to have income from visitors to pay for overhead on upkeep of the facility?
Tired of waiting ready to move on
I’m a former sailer usn 1964 to 1967 that loves the museum and have been upset since all closed down even to former military ,my wife and I are snowbirds and spent winters in gulfshores,we want museum reopened
Our tax dollars do not pay for the museum. That is a myth.
Naval Museum with access to Blue Angels practices, lighthouse, and National Cemetery are all parts of base visitors should be permitted to visit. Please strongly allow visitation!!!
The new access to the Pensacola Aviation Museum should also include the Lighthouse since the Lighthouse was built before the Naval Air Station. It is historic!
I believe it’s important to see our military heritage such as the naval museum & the lighthouse. I ran the Pensacola marathon back in the mid 90’s 3 times that was starting and finishing on the base .. it was a great experience, which qualified me for the Boston marathon which I ran in 1998!
Amen! Not to mention our tax dollars are what pays for it.
Thank you, Congressman Gaetz, for working on getting the museum open to the American public. The shut down of access to the museum has gone on long enough.