Located at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport[1] adjacent to the Crystal City neighborhood of Arlington, the air station supports NORAD air defense missions in and around the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area and its Special Flight Rules Area, provides executive transportation for the Commandant of the Coast Guard and Secretary of Homeland Security, and carries out regional Continuity of Government tasking as directed.

Operated by rotating staff drawn from a pool of 60 aviators and 175 enlisted members permanently assigned to Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City, New Jersey, the flight crews of CGAS Washington operate Eurocopter MH-65D Dolphin helicopters and Gulfstream C-37B business jets.

[5] As of 2022, the Coast Guard took delivery of a new Gulfstream C-37B aircraft, replacing a formerly leased Gulfstream 550, and now owns its entire LRCCA fleet, equipped with commercial and military communications systems, providing secure voice and data capabilities, as well as specialized equipment and sensors to meet Coast Guard mission needs.

[6] Since taking over the role from United States Customs and Border Protection September 25, 2006, Coast Guard personnel from CGAS Atlantic City, New Jersey, have been rotating into the National Capital Region Air Defense Facility (NCRADF) at CGAS Washington to perform the Rotary Wing Air Intercept mission to visually identify low flying, slow-moving targets that have entered into restricted airspace.

[9][10] The MH-65E Dolphin helicopters used have a digital signboard to transmit instructions to errant pilots, and are armed with M240 machine guns and anti-material rifles onboard.