We have crossed the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) finish line, and our state’s bases are alive and well. Through a strong team effort we showed the Pentagon and the BRAC Commission our bases’ military value. That effort made a difference. Naval Station Everett, Naval Air Station Whidbey Island and our state’s other major military bases stayed open.
The future of the Navy in Washington state is bright, yet the Navy of the future will look far different than the Navy of even 10 years ago. Both NS Everett and NAS Whidbey are positioned to benefit from these changes.
As a maritime nation, we must be able to project our influence abroad in order to protect our economic, humanitarian and security interests. The best way to achieve this presence with a purpose is an advanced, blue water Navy that is flexible and capable of responding to a crisis at a moment’s notice. The Navy’s Fleet Response Plan (FRP) will increase this flexibility, deploying more ships more often.
Last March I landed on the USS Abraham Lincoln and spoke with sailors as the carrier returned to Everett after completing its mission as the command center for tsunami relief. I also had the opportunity to greet many of those same sailors as they returned from serving our nation in Operation Iraqi Freedom. The Lincoln’s role in both military and humanitarian efforts shows the need for flexibility in the future. This new need for flexibility will continue to shape the training of our sailors.
What will this new Navy look like? The changing Navy will have new ships and new planes. The development of faster, smaller ships will refocus the Navy’s attention on coastline areas where it can more effectively counter terrorist threats and improve access to hostile territory if necessary. Aircraft carriers will strengthen our presence around the world as sovereign floating islands of U.S. territory. New aircraft like the EA-18G and the Multi Mission Aircraft will better counter enemy air defenses and destroy submarines. NS Everett and NAS Whidbey will grow as a result of these changes.
NS Everett is poised to become a model military installation for a modernizing and changing Navy. I am working to secure funding for a new training center at NS Everett that will make the base a regional leader in Navy simulation training. With its modern facilities, pier space, access to the Pacific and deepwater port, NS Everett is the perfect homeport for new Navy ships such as the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) and the new class of destroyer. In addition to current and future Navy assets, NS Everett has the ability to host assets from the Coast Guard and other agencies with maritime related missions.
Following BRAC, NAS Whidbey has emerged as a hub of airborne electronic attack and anti-submarine warfare operations. The recent decision to place the Navy’s fleet of new EA-18G aircraft at NAS Whidbey and the decision to move an air wing from Spain to Whidbey cement that role for the future. New assets such as the Multi Mission Aircraft, which will replace NAS Whidbey’s P-3 Orions, and the Joint Strike Fighter could also be in NAS Whidbey’s future.
As the Navy changes, our communities will adapt. Fortunately, we are blessed with supportive citizens who stand ready to help our military families adjust to a changing Navy. At home we will improve efforts to transition new families or returning sailors back into our communities. We have a strong network of schools, businesses and local services that will work to meet the needs of new students and new community members. The Navy itself should also bolster programs that support families when Mom or Dad is deployed.
Last month I flew in a Prowler jet out of NAS Whidbey. While flying in the cloud cover with the plane’s skipper, it was clear that it was not only the pilot who was keeping me in the air. An entire ground crew team, the folks in the flight tower and a network of sailors were working to keep that plane in the sky.
The Navy of the future will depend on the same kind of teamwork that guides the Navy of today. As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I am committed to continuing my role in Congress and at home as part of that team effort that will bring our Navy into its future and secure our region’s role in that vision.
U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, a Democrat, represents the 2nd Congressional District, which includes most of Snohomish County and all of Island, Skagit, Whatcom and San Juan counties.
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