Treat bases same as ships, admiral says

Treat bases same as ships, admiral says
By Zachary M. Peterson - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Jan 22, 2008 17:58:18 EST

The Navy should start treating its shore facilities and bases the same way it treats aircraft carriers, destroyers and submarines, the head of Navy Installations Command said recently.

“The most complex platform in the Navy is your base,” Vice Adm. Bob Conway said Jan. 16 at the Surface Navy Association’s annual conference in Arlington, Va. Navy Installations Command has a $9 billion annual budget, Conway said, the majority of which goes to “pay bills.” His command is tasked with supporting sailors and their families by maintaining shore infrastructure.

The Navy must dedicate resources to keeping the quality of life high onshore, Conway said.

The service needs a “robust shore investment strategy” to maintain and improve the condition of shore installations around the country and world, Conway argued. This strategy has to “come from operators,” he added.

Conway said his command will conduct “a scrub” of naval installations evaluating the capacity, configuration, condition and capability of each. These “four C’s” help the command evaluate each installation’s capabilities and prioritize where resources are most needed.


Rest of article at: http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/01/navy_conway_bases_080122w/