Naval Ocean Processing Facility (NOPF) Whidbey Island officially changed its name to Theater Undersea Surveillance Command Pacific (TUSC PAC) during a ceremony held at the command on Sept. 30, 2022.
TUSC PAC is one of several Integrated Undersea Surveillance Systems (IUSS) commands under Commander Undersea Surveillance, conducting continuous maritime surveillance for undersea domain awareness. These IUSS commands provide timely and accurate acoustic intelligence reporting and cueing to all theater undersea warfare commanders using fixed, mobile, and deployable assets across the world.
IUSS has its roots in the Sound Surveillance System (SOSUS) developed following World War II. The first SOSUS facility, Naval Facility Ramey Air Base Puerto Rico, was commissioned in 1954. SOSUS areas were operated by numerous dispersed monitoring naval facilities, which over time consolidated into the NOPF and now TUSC of today.
“NOPFs were established to consolidate undersea surveillance naval facilities along both coasts of the United States,” said Cmdr. Jon Nelson, Commanding Officer of NOPF Whidbey Island. “That mission has significantly expanded over the last 15 years and will continue to expand over the next decade. The name, Theater Undersea Surveillance Command Pacific, is more representative of what we do and more fitting of the expansive coverage of our mission.”
The IUSS enterprise continues to function around the clock with fixed systems that are largely impervious to weather and seas along with mobile and deployable systems that operate anywhere and anytime in support of national defense priorities.