I mean, it must really suck to be Navy & get stuck in BF Oklahoma w/ AF logistics & tanker types.
You would be surprised. It is Oklahoma but it is a major city. Being the Navy guys around the Air Force is comical at times. We didn't care about them and that bothered them. FWIW, the Navy has its own part of the base and you never really interacted unless you wanted too. FAX your DD175, remote weather, etc. It was a short drive to AAFES and the Navy facilities were top notch...in my travels I found only the command/training spaces at a sub (boomer) base to be better.
But that's also where "Tinker Burgers" are made...whcih is nice...
Sorry, I have had the burger you speak of...it is long gone. Last I looked the snack bar/restaurant where they were made has been repurposed.
I think it has a lot to do with having them all in one place and the ability to support both coasts more easily. Since it is the only plane of it's type in the Navy to have them in one place eases a lot of things when it comes to maintenance and training. And since they deploy out of locations on both coasts it makes sense to put them in the middle, and even more sense to do so at a base that a lot of similar aircraft, even if they are zoomies.
I believe Pax is still one of their 'permanent' det sites.
Bingo!!! The Navy was looking to co-locate the squadrons and the FRS for logistical reasons. Having squadrons at Barbers Point and Pax River with the E-6 training being conducted in Waco was a nightmare. The original rumor was that Oklahoma lobbied pretty hard to bring in the E-6s to Tinker to keep Tinker off the BRAC list. BRACs like joint bases (for the most part).
E-6s Det out of Travis, Offutt, and Pax.
...and yes, cross the Air Force-like security line and you will remember the response...the MAs will be the least of your worries.