Naval Air Station Lajes Field — located on Terceira Island in the Azores archipelago of Portugal — was established under a wartime basing agreement with Portugal in 1943 and served continuously as the primary mid-Atlantic naval air facility throughout WWII and the Cold War. Lajes Field’s position at the geographic center of the North Atlantic made it the essential refueling and transit stop for aircraft crossing the Atlantic, for Navy patrol aviation monitoring mid-Atlantic shipping lanes, and for NATO ASW patrol operations in the central North Atlantic. The station hosted Navy P-2 Neptune and P-3 Orion patrol squadrons, transient military and naval aircraft, and served as a critical logistics node for naval operations throughout the Cold War. WWII-era and Cold War construction at Lajes used asbestos-containing building materials in the hangars, barracks, and operational facility buildings consistent with military construction specifications of the period.

WWII and Cold War Facility Construction and Asbestos

Lajes Field’s facility stock incorporated asbestos throughout:

  • Aviation hangar and maintenance facilities — the patrol aircraft hangars and maintenance buildings at Lajes used WWII-era and Cold War military construction with asbestos-containing roofing, asbestos insulation board in hangar construction, and asbestos floor and ceiling materials in the aviation support buildings. Aviation personnel performing aircraft maintenance and operations at Lajes accumulated asbestos exposure from the hangar and maintenance facility construction during extended overseas assignments
  • Transient aircraft support buildings — the transient aircraft servicing facilities and crew rest buildings at Lajes, supporting the continuous flow of military aircraft transiting across the Atlantic, used military construction with asbestos-containing materials in the facility building stock
  • Barracks and administrative buildings — the enlisted barracks, BOQ, and administrative buildings at Lajes used military construction with asbestos floor tile, asbestos ceiling products, and asbestos-containing pipe insulation in the residential and administrative facility mechanical systems

Mid-Atlantic Transit Operations

Lajes Field’s role as a mid-Atlantic transit stop created specific exposure patterns:

  • Patrol aviation ASW facilities — the Navy patrol squadron operations buildings and ready rooms at Lajes supporting North Atlantic ASW patrol operations used Cold War military construction with asbestos-containing materials in the operations facility building stock

VA Claims for NAS Lajes Field Veterans

VA evaluates asbestos-related disability claims on a case-by-case basis. Veterans generally need evidence of in-service asbestos exposure, a current asbestos-related diagnosis, and a medical link between them. Navy and Marine Corps personnel who served at NAS Lajes Field during any period from the station’s WWII establishment through service reduction and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.