Washington Navy Yard Shooting: Understanding What It Is and Who Works There

The Washington Navy Yard houses the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), which designs, builds and delivers ships and systems for the U.S. Navy. 

It is an enclosed campus of mostly brick buildings located on M St., SE in Washington, D.C., down the street from the Washington Nationals ballpark and by the Navy Yard-Ballpark green line Metro station. In addition to office buildings, the campus includes a museum, cafeteria, gym, Navy Federal Credit Union and other amenities for the approximately 3,000 on-site workers and their families. Staff reporting to the facility include engineers, secretaries, musicians with the Navy band, food service workers and many other employees.

The yard is a secure facility with no cameras or videos permitted in most buildings, including cell phones with camera capability. To enter the yard, pedestrians and vehicles and their owners must complete a security check with security staff.

NAVSEA is the largest of the Navy’s five system commands with a fiscal year budget of about $30 billion. It has a total workforce of 60,000 civilian, military and contract personnel.