(WHTM) — Some may pass it and not even know it’s there or you may have heard about NAVSUP, but not quite sure what goes on there, well we got an in-depth look at the impact it has in one sector of the armed forces, Pennsylvania and the local economy.

While the actual naval support activity Mechanicsburg base has been there since World War Two, Navy systems command moved it’s headquarters to central PA from Washington DC in 1996, as a result of the Base Realignment and Closure act.

Rear Admiral Kenneth Epps, serves as commander of the Navy supply systems command and chief of the Supply Corps. He oversees, 134 naval personal and 711 civilians just in Cumberland County.

“We had previously had a command already on the base,” Epps said. “So combined together with another facility in Philadelphia that constitutes the bulk of Naval Supply Systems Command in Pennsylvania.”

NAVSUP is considered, as what’s called a sustainment enabler for naval forces across the globe.

“If you think about engineering resources, if you think about maintainers, people who fix planes, ships, submarines, and then people who provide the supplies to make sure that our warships can do what they do, what our aircraft can do, what they do, what our submarines can do, what they do,” Epps said.

NAVSUP secures vendors and contracts totaling around $7 billion a year, making sure parts, food, mail, and more get to bases, ships, and hangers to support those who serve and protect our country.

Pennsylvania and the Midstate benefit too, from the local civilians who work on base, to the money pumped into the economy.

“And of that last year we spent just over a quarter billion, so $260 million with Pennsylvania,” Epps said. “Yeah, companies and manufacturers. And so the economic impact here is just one thing for us, but it’s significant both in terms of what the workforce brings to Pennsylvania and then how we invest and spend money with Pennsylvania businesses.”

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Epps says the and those under his command are honored to serve. “We’re very invested in the community, and both all my teammates and their families love being here,” he said.

This year, the U.S. Navy Supply Corps celebrated it’s 229th birthday.

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