In 2018, Tyndall Air Force Base sustained a direct hit from Hurricane Michael. Overall, 484 buildings were damaged, and Tyndall removed 792,450 cubic yards of debris which would fill Washington DC’s Capitol Rotunda 16.5 times. As the 325th Fighter Wing began to reconstitute, the Air Force, installation and Mission Support Center headquarters quickly realized a mammoth effort was needed to rebuild the installation. In support of the wing commander, AFIMSC established a Program Management Office (PMO) to repair, reshape, and rebuild Tyndall.

In 2021, the PMO integrated with the Air Force Civil Engineer Center’s Facility Directorate to create the Natural Disaster Recovery Division to continue the Tyndall rebuild effort and formalize the support to Offutt AFB and Joint Base Langley-Eustis AFB. The Tyndall-based NDR Division provides strategic construction management to assist Air Force installations to quickly recover from disasters and make infrastructure more resilient. Tyndall and the NDR work hand-in-hand to reshape the base into a more lethal, ready, and resilient base. Coined the “Installation of the Future,” this base will be the first of its kind in the Department of Defense. It will meet the needs of our current and future forces by incorporating resilient infrastructure, innovative designs, and advanced technology to equip Airmen to execute the mission of today and tomorrow.

The first of many new F-35A Lightning II aircraft arrived in August 2023 at Tyndall, the future home of three F-35 squadrons. Throughout the rebuilding process, Tyndall has remained operationally ready and continues to project unrivaled combat airpower for our nation. The 325th Fighter Wing is transitioning into a combat-coded F-35A Lighting II and supports multiple tenant organizations. Our Airmen remain ready for worldwide deployment in support of combat operations.     

Our national leadership has supported and encouraged the redevelopment of Tyndall into the “Installation of the Future” to include resilient construction designed that can withstand the impacts of inclement weather. New facilities at Tyndall will be optimized to reduce maintenance costs, increase safety/security and maximize functionality to enable efficient and effective mission execution. The Installation of the Future represents an evolution toward a more resilient, ready and lethal Air Force. Team Tyndall is creating a stronger, more efficient and innovative 21st Century base to serve as the new standard for DOD installations.

Tyndall AFB is a critical asset for the nation’s defense strategy. It adjoins the Gulf Range Complex, comprised of 180,000 square miles of training airspace over the Gulf of Mexico. The GRC is one of the few ranges in the U.S. capable of supporting large-scale air combat training. Direct access to this range is essential for fifth-generation fighter readiness, fourth-and fifth-generation fighter interoperability and live-fire testing and training.

In 2018 and 2019, natural disasters hit Tyndall and Offutt AFBs and bottlenecked critical training and mission operations for months. Initially, the Air Force Civil Engineer Center Facility Engineering Directorate managed both recovery and rebuild projects through separate program management offices. They are now aligned under the Natural Disaster Recovery Division, whose mission is to repair, reshape, and rebuild Air Force installations following natural disasters to support both near-term resumption of mission operations and long-term redevelopment of installations as the model Air Force Installation of the Future where possible. 

The division also serves as a strategic reserve of expertise equipped to assist bases hit by natural disasters with capabilities that include damage assessment, requirements development and construction execution.

At Tyndall AFB, the NDR division leads a multi-year rebuild effort that includes 44 new military construction projects, or MILCON, providing 120 new facilities; and 260 facility sustainment, restoration, and modernization, or FSRM projects, valued at $5.3 billion.