Public Law 91–660 of the 91st Congress [16 U.S.C. 459h et seq.] established the Gulf Islands National Seashore in the States of Florida and Mississippi.

The original boundaries of the Gulf Islands National Seashore encompassed certain Federal land used by the Air Force and the Navy, and the use of such land was still required by the Armed Forces when the seashore was established.

Senate Report 91–1514 of the 91th Congress addressed the relationship between these military lands and the Gulf Islands National Seashore as follows: ‘While the military use of these lands is presently required, they remain virtually free of adverse development and they are included in the boundaries of the seashore so that they can be wholly or partially transferred to the Department of the Interior when they become excess to the needs of the Air Force.’.

Although section 2(a) of Public Law 91–660 (16 U.S.C. 459h–1(a)) authorized the eventual transfer of Federal land within the boundaries of the Gulf Islands National Seashore from the Department of Defense to the Secretary of the Interior, an amendment mandating the transfer of excess Department of Defense land on Santa Rosa and Okaloosa Island, Florida, to the Secretary of the Interior is required to ensure that the purposes of the Gulf Islands National Seashore are fulfilled.”