VOL. 11 NO. 13 August 6, 2010 - August 19, 2010
Joint Base Charleston on track By Eric Sesit, NWS Charleston Public Affairs
recommendations that eventually required combining 26 separate military installations into 12 joint bases. In making the decision on combining the two Charleston bases, BRAC looked at how both installations executed their separate support missions and found that both used similar or near similar processes. BRAC also looked at the proximity of the bases to each other and saw an opportunity to reduce duplication of support efforts resulting in a reduction of overall manpower and facilities requirements which would generate substantial savings. Once the decision to combine the bases was made, BRAC had to decide on the lead or receiving service. The commission looked at the quantitative military value score of Charleston AFB and compared it to NWS Charleston. The score was too close to be the Photo by JB CHS public affairs sole factor determining the lead installation New signs are appearing around the Lowcountry as Charleston Air for management functions. Charleston AFB Force Base and Naval Weapons Station Charleston move towards was tagged as the lead installation because of its mission in support of operational forces the October 1 consolidation. compared to NWS Charleston, which has a It has been five years in the making, but on October 1, 2010, primary mission to support training and industrial activities. Joint Base Charleston (JB CHS) will begin operations as a comThe first Joint Base Commander of JB CHS is Col. Martha bined Air Force and Navy installation. To help envision what the A. Meeker, USAF. Captain Ralph C. Ward, USN, who just future holds for these two historic military posts, it’s important turned over command of Naval Nuclear Prototype Training Unit to understand how the decision to combine bases came about. Charleston, will serve as Deputy Joint Base Commander but will In 2005, the Base Realignment Committee (BRAC) made wear a second hat as Commanding Officer Naval Support
Activity, Charleston, the embed Navy unit in JB CHS which will occur upon the disestablishment of NWS Charleston on Oct. 1. Their goals are clear cut and spelled out in the new Joint Base mission statement: Provide globally ready forces and installation support for Joint Base Charleston. Five years after BRAC’s decision, teams of civilian and military from both the Navy and the Air Force continue to wade through the myriad of military red tape to bring JB CHS to life. “Surprisingly, although joint basing will provide better services for the entire community, very few people will actually be affected by the move,” said LT. Kenneth K. Reikofski, Joint Base military liaison officer. “A little more than 2,000 people, military and civilians will be directly impacted, and for most of them, their jobs will remain the same. “The only difference some of our civil servents will see is that they are now Air Force employees. However, when you’re talking about people that have been with the Navy for 20, sometimes 30 years, it’s a little harder to change then someone who only has a few years of government service. There will definitely be some growing pains.” For the tenant commands on both NWS Charleston and Charleston AFB, joint basing should be fairly transparent. “Both bases have been providing outstanding services to their tenant commands for years. This is not going to change. Providing our customers with the best service possible is what joint basing is all about,” said Reikofski. “Our tenant commands constantly provide us feedback, objective assessments and measures of our performance in how well we provide our services to them. Under joint basing, our combined services will be nothing less than world class.”
IN THIS EDITION
Next issue street date
Friday, August 20
Submission deadline
Friday, August 13
NWS Charleston names SOQs See page 3
Camp Grinning Gator See page 12
Make fitness fun See page 17