Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, March 13, 1993 TAG: 9303130092
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
PAIR OF VA. BASES ON LIST FOR CLOSING
Two major military facilities in Virginia were targeted for closing Friday by Defense Secretary Les Aspin, but the Navy chose the same day to open a new command at the Norfolk Naval Base.One of the Virginia closings involves the Norfolk base's Naval Aviation Depot, the largest such facility in the nation. The other is Vint Hill Farms, a 700-acre Army intelligence training post near Warrenton with about 2,500 soldiers and civilian workers and an annual payroll of $84 million.
In terms of job losses and economic impact, the overall effect of the closings and other changes in the state's military operations recommended by Aspin was difficult to gauge.
"Comparatively speaking, Virginia will survive this first round of defense cuts with less than most states," said Sen. John Warner, R-Va.
He said Virginia will be hit harder when the Pentagon announces other base closing proposals aimed at cutting the budget deficit. That is expected next week, he said.
In Hampton Roads, where the Navy's Atlantic Fleet is headquartered, the shutdown of the aviation depot would mean the loss of about 100 military and 4,300 civilian jobs.
But Aspin also recommended closing the Charleston, S.C., Naval Station. About 50 Atlantic Fleet ships are based in South Carolina, and some of them and their crews could move to Norfolk.
Aspin's list indicated the Oceana Naval Air Station in Virginia Beach would get about 2,600 military personnel because of closings elsewhere and the Norfolk base would get another 4,600. The Portsmouth Naval Hospital would get about 660 military and civilian workers.
Rep. Owen B. Pickett, D-Virginia Beach, called the aviation depot's closing "shortsighted" and said he would work to keep the 172-acre facility open when Aspin's list is reviewed by the independent Base Closure and Realignment Commission.
"Common sense and prudent management dictate that military industrial facilities should be located near the facilities they service," Pickett said. "Closing this facility just doesn't make sense."
The depot, known as NADEP, repairs A-6 Intruder and F-14 Tomcat jets. It has an annual payroll of $161 million. The Navy has two other East Coast aviation depots, in Jacksonville, Fla., and Cherry Point, N.C.
Norfolk's new Naval Doctrine Command, meantime, will include a 50-person staff to help the sea service and the Marine Corps adjust to the post-Cold War shift from global threats to regional conflict.
"The world has changed and we are downsizing," said Rear Adm. Frederick L. Lewis, a former aircraft carrier battle group commander who is in charge of the new command. "How do we capitalize on the capability that remains?"
The command will swap bosses every two years between a Navy admiral and a Marine Corps general, a sign of increasing cooperation that could lead to a center for joint training and planning for all military branches in Norfolk.
"A lot of things came out of Desert Storm to improve our ability to operate together in a joint and combined world," Lewis said.
Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Fairfax County, said he'd focus his energies on replacing jobs lost through Vint Hill's closing by getting other federal agencies or private businesses to move to the area. No major lobbying effort to keep the base is planned, but Wolf said he'll make sure the closure is justified and that other intelligence agencies will not be affected.
"We have to deal with the reality of where we are. It's not a positive thing. I think maybe the Clinton administration is perhaps cutting back too much, but this is the law," Wolf said. "You can spend your time crying over it or you can spend your time trying to do something constructive and see if we can have some defense conversion and try and attract businesses or agencies."
Aspin's recommendations included a number of other changes for Virginia military operations, including:
A realignment at Fort Belvoir in Northern Virginia. About 450 civilian jobs will be lost if Aspen's recommendation to eliminate the Army post's Research, Development and Engineering Center is carried out, said Rebecca Wriggle, a Fort Belvoir spokeswoman. The fort now has about 12,000 personnel.
Closing, relocation and realignment of some small Navy units in Hampton Roads, such as the Navy Radio Transmission Facility in Suffolk. Lt. Cmdr. Morgan Smith, an Atlantic Fleet spokesman, did not have details on all the changes.
Also, Aspin recommended moving some military offices in Arlington from leased space to government-owned buildings. He also called for closing the Naval Reserve Center in Staunton.