At that time, the surrounding area was mainly farmland susceptible to flooding, but it served as a useful outlying field for the rapidly expanding naval air force headquartered at NAS Norfolk and allowed units to work up for deployments away from the crowded base there.

[2] In 1943, the United States Congress approved a project for the expansion of the station to allow for the deployment of up to 160 officers and 800 enlisted men, plus the construction of longer runways.

NAS Oceana has grown to become one of the largest and most advanced air stations in the world, comprising 6,820 acres (including Dam Neck Annex).

NAS Oceana was host to the "Tomcat Sunset" reunion from 21 to 23 September 2006, where over 3000 former and current aircrew and maintainers came together to celebrate the retirement of the F-14 from active Fleet service.

NAS Oceana also was the location where the F-14 took off for the last time for final flight of the type when F-14D, Bureau Number (BuNo) 164603, Modex 101, of Fighter Squadron 31 (VF-31) was ferried from NAS Oceana to Republic Airport in East Farmingdale on Long Island, NY for permanent static display at the Northrop Grumman facilities where the Tomcat was originally built.

The most contentious of these requirements was that the city of Virginia Beach buy and condemn approximately 3,400 residences and an unknown number of businesses in crash zones surrounding the base.

The BRAC commission proposed moving the fighters to Cecil Field, a recently deactivated naval air station located near Jacksonville, Florida if NAS Oceana was not able to meet that and several other conditions.

The plan was initially met with optimism by Jacksonville Mayor John Peyton, even though Cecil Field had already been converted into a joint civil-military airport with helicopter operations by the U.S. Coast Guard and the Florida Army National Guard and an associated commerce park dominated by major aerospace firms such as Northrop Grumman and Boeing performing major maintenance and overhaul work on a variety of military jet aircraft.

On December 20, 2005 the Virginia Beach City Council passed numerous ordinances enacted to satisfy BRAC, but did not act to condemn any of the homes in the designated areas.

In addition to the squadrons listed, there are numerous other commands present as "tenant" commands at Oceana: Plans by the Navy to construct a naval outlying landing field supporting both NAS Oceana and MCAS Cherry Point in eastern North Carolina, initiated in 2006, met with fierce opposition by local residents and environmentalists.

[9] Strike Fighter Wing Atlantic Notes: In mid-May 2017, 94,000 US gallons (360,000 L) of jet fuel spilled from a storage tank, and also spread onto adjoining properties and waterways, notably Wolfsnare Creek.