Comment: Navy’s committment to Everett homeport ironclad

By Rick Larsen / For The Herald

In February, Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro and his team visited Naval Station Everett to tour the base, meet with servicemembers, and learn about ongoing ship repair and modernization work in the Pacific Northwest.

The Secretary’s visit, part of the Pentagon’s ongoing effort to see the Navy’s progress to train and modernize its fleet and force, was the first visit to Everett by a sitting Secretary of the Navy since 2010. This visit sent a strong signal to Naval Station Everett, its sailors and the region that their role is essential to the Navy’s mission to keep the country safe and protect U.S. interests around the world.

As Secretary Del Toro saw and heard during his visit, Everett has several distinct advantages as a homeport, including its strategic location, ease of access, and a high standard of living in the city of Everett and the region. Those advantages were again instrumental in the Navy’s decision in 2021 to homeport 12 new Constellation-class frigates and crew at Everett by Fiscal Year 2026. In its recent draft environmental assessment for homeporting the frigates, the Navy outlined plans to construct training and support facilities for ships, commands and crews, and station approximately 2,900 personnel and their families at Everett. The Navy’s decision, which came six years after the last aircraft carrier left Everett, clearly demonstrates Everett’s importance in the Navy’s current and future missions.

Lingering disruptions and supply chain issues have now delayed frigate delivery until Fiscal Year 2029. As disappointing as this delay is, I am confident that the Navy is committed to Everett and the region. Congress has already funded the first six frigates, with the first of these, the USS Constellation, being built right now in Wisconsin. And recently, Port of Everett commissioners unanimously approved a lease with Fincantieri Marine Repair for space to maintain the frigates; a positive sign that the Navy’s plans are on track despite the delays.

The Navy’s commitment extends to the sailors and personnel homeported in Everett and their families. I recently met with Everett’s new commanding officer, Capt. Stacy Wuthier, to discuss Everett’s advantages, such as its high standard of living, as well as the challenges military families face, such as the high cost of living and a lack of affordable housing. I worked with 1st district Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Kirkland, to include $19 million in the FY24 spending package to build 88 new homes at the Navy Support Complex in Smokey Point, an investment that will allow more active-duty servicemembers and their families to live closer to where they work and go to school while having better access to the resources they need. In addition, the bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which passed the House in June, includes a 19.5 percent pay raise for junior enlisted and a 4.5 percent pay raise for all other servicemembers to help ensure servicemembers and their families can afford to live in Northwest Washington.

Congress must continue to do its part to support the Navy’s missions in Everett and around the globe. The House-passed NDAA recognizes the important role the homeporting of frigates at Everett plays in the Navy’s national security mission. The annual defense policy bill must still be approved by the Senate, and I urge the Senate to include this bipartisan language, as well as a pay raise for servicemembers in their final version of the NDAA.

Since 1994, Everett has served as the country’s premier naval base. Although Everett’s role in homeporting Navy ships has evolved in the last three decades, the Navy’s commitment to Everett remains ironclad. I look forward to working with Secretary Del Toro, the Pentagon, local elected officials and community leaders to support the Navy’s missions and ensure Everett continues to be an ideal location for future homeporting and training. The safety and security of the United States depends on it.

U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Everett, represents Washington’s 2nd Congressional District, which includes Everett and portions of Snohomish County, as well as all of Skagit, Whatcom, Island and San Juan Counties. Larsen served for 22 years on the Armed Services Committee before becoming the lead Democrat on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in 2023.