'' The roots of the NAWCTSD reach back to April 1941 when then-Commander
Luis de Florez became head of the new Special Devices Desk in the Engineering Division of the Navy's
Bureau of Aeronautics (BuAer). De Florez championed the use of "synthetic training devices" and urged the Navy to undertake development of such devices to increase readiness. In June, the desk became the Special Devices Section. Throughout
World War II, the Section developed numerous innovative training devices including ones that used motion pictures to train aircraft gunners, a device to train
precision bombing, and a kit with which to build model terrains to facilitate operational planning in the field. The Special Devices Section grew and became the Special Devices Division. In August 1946, the Division, at its newest home at
Port Washington,
Long Island, NY, was commissioned the Special Devices Center. As what would later become NAWCTSD evolved and grew, it was aligned at various times under several different parent organizations within the Navy. In 1956, it became the
Naval Training Device Center (NAVTRADEVCEN). Over a three-year period in the mid-1960s, the Center moved from its
Long Island location to Orlando, Florida, taking residence as a tenant activity at the then-
Orlando Air Force Base, that installation subsequently becoming
Naval Training Center Orlando in 1968 until its closure in 1999 pursuant to a
1993 Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) decision. In 1985, the by then renamed
Naval Training Equipment Center (NTEC) became the
Naval Training Systems Center (NTSC). In 1988, the Center moved from NTC Orlando to its present headquarters approximately 15 miles east of its former location and just south of the
University of Central Florida campus. The main building complex named for its founding father, de Florez. On October 1, 1993, the Naval Training Systems Center became today's NAWCTSD. In 2003, the command was briefly renamed Naval Air Systems Command Training Systems Division (NAVAIR-TSD), but has since reverted to its original name. In 2005, the physical facility and property was also designated as an independent base named
Naval Support Activity Orlando, making it the sole remaining active duty
U.S. Navy installation in the Orlando area. At approximately 40 acres in size, NSA Orlando is the second smallest shore installation in the U.S. Navy. However, it is surrounded by several "Partnership" buildings owned and maintained by the State of Florida and effectively leased at cost to various modeling, simulation and training (MS&T) commands of the Department of Defense, to include Army and Marine Corps commands, effectively increasing the military community to several hundred acres. The Air Force MS&T command in Orlando, the
Air Force Agency for Modeling and Simulation (AFAMS), currently leases commercial office property immediately adjacent to, but outside the fence line of, NSA Orlando. NAWCTSD remains a component of the
Naval Air Systems Command, but continues to maintain a portfolio and lines of effort that extends beyond Naval Aviation, to include other activities of the Navy and is a collaborative partner with other DoD and non-DoD organizations. ==Naval Support Activity Orlando==