Naval Air Station Lemoore, located in California’s San Joaquin Valley near Fresno, was commissioned in 1961 and has served as the Pacific Fleet’s primary strike aviation base throughout the Cold War and post-Cold War eras. NAS Lemoore hosts Pacific Fleet strike fighter squadrons (VFA) operating the F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornet, and previously the A-7 Corsair II light attack squadrons during the Vietnam War and Cold War era. The station is home to the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center (NSAWC) and provides training and operational support for Pacific Fleet carrier air wing strike elements. Naval Air Station Lemoore was constructed beginning in the late 1950s and expanded through the Cold War using military construction materials that incorporated asbestos-containing building materials throughout the aircraft hangars, squadron maintenance facilities, aviation intermediate maintenance departments, barracks, and administrative buildings built during the station’s construction period. Naval aviation personnel — aviators, Aviation Machinist’s Mates, Aviation Electronics Technicians, and aviation support ratings — assigned to Lemoore-based squadrons and the station’s maintenance facilities accumulated background asbestos exposure from the asbestos-containing building materials throughout their Lemoore assignments.

Cold War Facility Construction Asbestos

NAS Lemoore’s construction incorporated asbestos throughout its facilities:

  • Aircraft maintenance hangars — the large aircraft maintenance hangars at NAS Lemoore used to support strike fighter squadron aircraft maintenance were constructed using military construction specifications incorporating asbestos-containing fireproofing on hangar structural steel, asbestos-containing insulation board on interior wall construction, and asbestos pipe insulation on utility systems in the hangar buildings. Aviation Machinist’s Mates and aviation maintenance ratings performing strike aircraft maintenance in NAS Lemoore hangars accumulated background asbestos exposure from the hangar building construction throughout their Lemoore squadron assignments
  • A-7 and F/A-18 squadron maintenance facilities — the strike fighter squadron operations buildings, maintenance bays, and ready rooms at NAS Lemoore were constructed with asbestos-containing building materials in the facility construction. Strike fighter squadron personnel working in Lemoore squadron facilities accumulated background asbestos exposure from the squadron facility construction during their NAS Lemoore assignments
  • Barracks and bachelor officer quarters — the enlisted barracks and bachelor officer quarters at NAS Lemoore constructed during the station’s establishment and Cold War expansion used military construction specifications with asbestos-containing floor tile, ceiling materials, and pipe insulation in the residential facility construction. Strike aviation personnel living in Lemoore barracks accumulated background asbestos exposure from the residential facility construction during their assignments

Engine Test Cell Asbestos

NAS Lemoore’s aircraft engine facilities incorporated asbestos in test cell construction:

  • Engine test cell construction — the aircraft engine test cells at NAS Lemoore used for testing aircraft engines following maintenance used military construction with asbestos-containing acoustic and thermal insulation in the test cell building construction. Aviation Machinist’s Mates operating aircraft engines in NAS Lemoore test cells accumulated background asbestos exposure from the test cell building construction during engine testing operations

VA Claims for NAS Lemoore Veterans

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure at naval air stations. Naval aviation personnel, strike fighter aviators, and shore-assigned aviation ratings who served at Naval Air Station Lemoore and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.