Patuxent River is home to the Naval Air Systems Command and the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division headquarters. NAVAIR's Aircraft Division at Patuxent River (including the Webster Field Annex) is the Navy's full spectrum acquisition, research, development, test, evaluation and engineering and fleet support activity for manned and unmanned aircraft, engines, avionics, aircraft support systems and ship/shore/air operations. With more than 165,000 air operations annually, activities at Patuxent River fly 140 different aircraft over 780 restricted and 5,000 controlled square miles. Capabilities range from concepts analysis and procurement to flight testing and support equipment. NAS Patuxent River is under the command of Naval District Washington (NDW). NDW is one of ten regions reporting to Commander, Navy Installations. Headquartered at the Washington Navy Yard, NDW is the regional provider of common operating support to twenty Navy installations, including Naval Air Station Patuxent River. NDW is also known as the Quarterdeck of the Navy.

24 Hour Access Gate Designation

Please Note: Gate 1 is the 24 hour access gate for those arriving after normal duty hours.

Maryland Cell Phone Law

Maryland drivers are prohibited from using a cell phone without a hands free device while operating a motor vehicle in motion. Cell phone usage is a primary violation and drivers will be stopped and cited. Exceptions are allowed for calls placed to 9-1-1, ambulance, hospital, fire, or law enforcement agencies, as are calls made by emergency and law enforcement personnel. Maryland also prohibits texting while driving. This law prohibits an individual from writing or sending a text message while operating a motor vehicle that is in motion or in the travel portion of the highway. This law does not apply to texting 9-1-1 or using a global positioning system.

Transportation 

There are no commercial bus, railroad or air services in the immediate area that connect to the DC Metro Area. If you are flying in, you will land in the Washington D.C. area or in Baltimore (all airports are at least 1.5 hours from the base). You may wish to contact your command and/or sponsor for a possible pick-up. Taxi service to NAS Patuxent River from any of the DC Metro area airports will cost approximately $150 or more, depending upon the size of the vehicle or the number of individuals being transported. Sponsor or Command pickup is highly encouraged.

There are also several local shuttle services that will take you to and from Union Station (AMTRAK) and all the area airports; Dulles, Baltimore/Washington International (BWI) and Ronald Reagan National. This does not mean they will transport you to the installation! Be sure to check the credentials of any taxi or shuttle service to insure they are a licensed and legal transportation company.

Local Transportation

Saint Mary's County Department of Public Works and Transportation offers local bus transportation throughout the county.  For an updated listing of routes, maps, schedules and fees please visit: https://www.stmarysmd.com/dpw/STSfares.asp

Defense Service Network (DSN) Dialing Instructions

The DSN is the provider of long-distance communications service for the Department of Defense (DoD). Every installation has a special DSN number and the numbers vary by world-wide location. In order to place a call using DSN, the caller must be using a military phone on an installation. Cell phones cannot dial DSN numbers. When dialing a DSN number from a United States installation to another United States installation, it is unnecessary to dial the DSN 312 area code. When dialing a DSN number to/from overseas locations, the DSN area code must be included. The operator can be reached at commercial (719) 567-1110. Please note that long distance charges may be incurred.

NDW Wide Area Alert Network (WAAN)

The NDW Wide Area Alert Network (WAAN) is one of the principal tools the Region Commander and installation commanding officers utilize to alert the workforce to destructive weather hazards, emergencies, severe traffic conditions, force protection condition (FPCON) changes, etc., both during and after working hours. The automated telephone notification system (ATNS), one of four sub-systems of the WAAN, enables registered users to receive telephonic, email, and text alerts on devices they designate. Personally identifiable information the user provides is safeguarded. Once registered, a user can update their profile at any time. (Note: the ATNS is a different WAAN sub-system than the one that is CAC-enabled and generates desktop pop-up alerts.)

Personnel are not automatically registered in the NDW WAAN, but must individually self-register. Because the NDW WAAN uses the NMCI domain, only NMCI account users are currently able to self-register. Self-registration is easily done with a Common Access Card (CAC) on a NMCI computer/laptop, using the AtHoc Self-service Client application. To register, or to update an AtHoc profile, the NMCI user needs to log-in from a NMCI computer with the AtHoc Self-service Client application loaded to it.