VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Top officials at NAS Oceana might open part of the East Coast Master Jet Base to private developers, citing the need to address aging infrastructure.
The Navy said there is a growing conflict between mission readiness, safety, and quality of life due to deteriorating facilities.
More than a week ago, Congresswoman Elaine Luria and NAS Oceana Commanding Officer Captain Chad Vincelette pointed out the leaking roofs, black mold housing issues, and a nonfunctioning fire suppression system.
The Navy said part of the reason is it only garners 60-67 percent of the funding it needs. Therefore, opening up underutilized parcels of property to manufacturing or warehousing and storage will help reduce ownership costs and redirect resources to warfighting missions.
“So you’re talking about the golf course, you’re talking about horse stables, things like that that don’t have a direct impact on combat readiness,” said Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Bryan Stephens. “They can open up those opportunities to the business community that can run those operations for them.”
Stephens said Navy officials discussed possibly moving back the base fence line to maintain security while also creating business opportunities.
“They’re being very selective, being very mindful of the fact they are a military installation, they do have security requirements and their primary mission is to train their fighter pilots,” said Stephens.
In a statement, Congresswoman Elaine Luria said:
“As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, we must give our operational forces the proper resources to maintain our critical defense infrastructure. As we evaluate new ideas that could improve infrastructure challenges at NAS Oceana, we should listen to local voices and neighboring communities. This is a challenge that could benefit from innovative and thoughtful solutions.”
Overall, Stephens said the possibility is a win for everyone.
“It’s a win for the base, they’re saving money and allowing the businesses to come in and run that,” said Stephens. “They’re creating jobs, making opportunities available, business opportunities there on the base and third, it’s a win for the city quite frankly because there’s tax revenue if they do privatize some of these operations.”
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