Posted on 01/08/2006 1:11:53 PM PST by concentric circles
POINT MUGU - Supporters of Naval Base Ventura County said Friday a new assessment of how many military jobs will be transferred from the Point Mugu base to China Lake shows losses in the hundreds rather than the thousands. Review of the final Base Realignment and Closure law indicates that 416 positions, rather than the 2,250 feared last year, will be reassigned from Point Mugu to China Lake, said Jack Dodd, the retired former vice commander of the Naval Air Warfare Center at Point Mugu.
The announcement was made by members of the Regional Defense Partnership for the 21st Century, a group of local business, political and military leaders who support the base in Ventura County.
They said there was flexibility in the BRAC Commission recommendations adopted in August that allowed the Navy to analyze its needs and arrive at the lower figure.
"We can all breathe a big sigh of relief," said Dodd, a chief strategist in a county campaign to retain jobs at the Ventura County base. "While our goal was to lose zero jobs, and we feel empathy for those employees whose work will be moved to China Lake, we are greatly relieved that the Navy has decided on a much smaller number than originally recommended."
Among the jobs retained in Ventura County are those associated with operating and maintaining the Navy's 36,000-square-mile missile testing range off Point Mugu.
Naval Base Ventura County consists of Point Mugu Naval Air Station and the Port Hueneme Naval Construction Battalion Center, one of two Seabee bases in the United States.
The base supports about 17,000 government and civilian jobs.
Point Mugu and China Lake were placed under a single command in 1992 as part of a previous realignment. Since then, they have been consolidating operations.
They said the job shift also would weaken testing efficiency and military training and might result in a loss of valuable military expertise because polls showed that more than 80% of those whose jobs would be transferred would quit or retire rather than leave the area.
Officials said the original recommendation from the BRAC Commission to President George W. Bush last year could have resulted in the loss of 2,250 direct military jobs, plus 2,762 indirect civilian jobs, and this did not even take into consideration the additional impact the loss would have had on local businesses.
Officials could not say how many indirect jobs might be lost, but said it appears for now that the number of military jobs would be 416 from the weapons and armaments section at Point Mugu that will go to China Lake.
These jobs will be transferred sometime before 2011, but the local officials could not say exactly when. The numbers will probably change again, Dodd said.
Ventura County Supervisor Kathy Long, a leader of Ventura County BRAC Task Force, said the situation is much better than what was feared last fall.
"We're very pleased. We knew there was flexibility in the BRAC Commission decision for internal analysis," she said.
Ventura County Supervisor Judy Mikels, a leader of the Regional Defense Partnership group, said efforts by Ventura County officials to support the local military base helped prevent the loss of more jobs.
"The base stands strong, and there is a great future for Naval Base Ventura County," she said.
A whole lot of people have passed through here, this is posted for them.
Bump
I figger we should give it back to the Japanese fishermen from whom the land was taken.
As long as you're feeling so generous, why not give it back to the Chumash Indians.
You know any?
Oh Magoo, You're a genius!!
RIP Jim Backus
This may have had more to do with the final decision by the BRAC Commission than any politics. China Lake is in the desert, a stone's throw from the Panamint Valley and apparently many people did not intend to relocate. I guess the ocean breeze kind of gets in your system.
Base closures have resulted in a painful transition in many communities and I'm sure the Commission has seen it all and heard all the arguments against changes. While politics may play a role on occasion, I believe the Commission has the best interests of the Armed Forces in mind. An efficient military structure is certainly in the best interests of the nation.
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