As Hurricane Milton approaches the Florida coast, the U.S. military is undertaking extensive preparations to move assets, secure equipment, and ready personnel to ride out the storm—just days after similar actions were required for Hurricane Helene.
Currently classified as a Category 5 storm, Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall near Tampa late Wednesday or early Thursday. While it is projected to weaken somewhat before reaching the coast, the storm still poses a significant risk of over 10 feet of storm surge in areas that are still recovering from the impacts of Hurricane Helene.
MacDill Air Force Base, located in Tampa and serving as the headquarters for U.S. Special Operations Command, is heavily involved in the preparations. According to Air Force spokesperson Rose Riley, the base has evacuated 12 KC-135 refueling aircraft to McConnell Air Force Base in Kansas, while keeping two aircraft secured in a hangar on-site. Additionally, Riley noted that the base will close on Tuesday, and personnel have been instructed to comply with local evacuation orders. Approximately 185 base personnel will operate from an alternate emergency operations center at Raymond James Stadium, home of the Buccaneers and designated as a shelter by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
The 482nd Fighter Wing has also relocated seven F-16s from Homestead Air Reserve Base in Miami to San Antonio, Texas. Patrick Space Force Base and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, located on Florida’s east coast, are currently at Hurricane Condition 4, according to Space Launch Delta 45. Riley mentioned that while tenant units have moved aircraft assets out of the area, there are no mandatory evacuations at these bases, as the storm is expected to weaken considerably by the time it arrives.
„While the anticipated impacts of this storm are not driving a mandatory evacuation, we do expect downed trees, power outages, possible cell service outages, and localized flooding,” said Space Launch Delta 45.
The Navy is also making preparations, revealing that it will move three Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers—USS Donald Cook (DDG-75), USS Thomas Hudner (DDG-116), and USS Lassen (DDG-82)—out to sea from Naval Station Mayport located in northeast Florida. Other ships based in Mayport will remain in port but will be positioned in designated “heavy weather mooring” positions according to the latest storm forecasts. Additionally, aircraft will be evacuated from local airfields or stored in hangars designed to withstand hurricane-force winds.
All military bases in the area are expected to close non-essential operations by Tuesday afternoon.
Bryan Clark, a fellow at the Hudson Institute and a retired Navy officer, shared with Breaking Defense that moving ships to avoid hurricanes typically incurs minimal costs for the Navy. However, the expenses associated with securing equipment and halting operations can accumulate significantly for Florida-based private shipyards, potentially reaching hundreds of thousands of dollars depending on the frequency of such storms and the duration of operational disruptions.
A spokesperson for the National Guard indicated that officials are monitoring Hurricane Milton closely and are prepared to coordinate resources as necessary to address the storm’s aftermath. Guard units from multiple states can be deployed to assist affected areas, similar to the response following Hurricane Helene. The Army did not respond immediately to requests for comment regarding its preparations.
As Hurricane Milton approaches, the concerted efforts of military branches underscore a commitment to protecting both service members and the infrastructure critical to national defense.
