THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, October 27, 1995 TAG: 9510270507
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JACK DORSEY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 89 lines
The decision to open up the Norfolk Naval Base complex to the public beginning next week is designed to eventually spread throughout the Atlantic Fleet, from Florida to Maine, officials say.
The move is being made despite acts of terrorism at the World Trade Center in New York and the federal building in Oklahoma City, and recent threats on commercial airports across the country, where security has been tightened.
But those incidents do not translate into new concerns for the Navy, officials contend.
``First off,'' said a senior officer familiar with the plan in Norfolk, ``if we had a genuine threat identified here, we have the ability to change our security posture.''
In addition, he said, ``you've got to make an assumption here that American people coming to see their Navy are forthright, upstanding people and good partners. You can't go into this situation believing that only evildoers are coming around.''
Still, some area residents and military members question the wisdom of such a free-flowing access to the Navy's largest military complex in the world.
``I don't think it's a very good idea because it (terrorism) could endanger all of us in the area,'' said the wife of a retired Navy man who uses the base facilities.
``I think they are inviting trouble and I bet they see an increase of thefts from the base,'' said the woman, who lives outside the Gate 4 area near Ocean View and asked not to be identified by name.
The Navy announced that beginning Wednesday it will no longer restrict access to the Norfolk Naval Station, or Naval Air Station, allowing free access between 5:30 a.m. and 9 p.m. During the remaining hours motorists without military decals will be asked for identification and a destination, but still allowed on the facilities.
Navy officials, pointing to numerous other military bases that are open to the public already, said they have not experienced serious terrorism activities there.
Fort Bragg, N.C., home of the 82nd Airborne, part of the nation's elite fast response parachute units, has an open base policy. So does Fort Belvoir in Northern Virginia and Fort Eustis, Fort Monroe and Fort Story, all in Hampton Roads.
The Navy relaxed gate security earlier this year at its submarine bases at New London, Conn., and its air station at Brunswick, Maine, officials said, and have had no problems.
The Norfolk headquarters for the Atlantic Fleet, U.S. Atlantic Command and NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic, the only NATO command on U.S. soil, threw open its gates six months ago. Sentries do man the gates at night.
A Navy spokesman in Washington said the service has no master plan to increase or limit public access to bases. Decisions about base security are left to the commander of each installation, he said.
Adm. William J. Flanagan, commander-in-chief of the Norfolk-based Atlantic Fleet, is the chief sponsor of the open-base policy and plans to implement it throughout his command at East Coast ports, officials said.
``While we're sort of the test bed here in Norfolk, I expect to see it up and down the East Coast,'' said one senior officer who asked not to be identified.
Pacific Fleet officials on the West Coast said they have no plans to open their bases to the general public.
A base spokesman for the large San Diego naval complex said the current policy of restricting access will remain. As far as he knew, no studies are being done to alter that policy.
Norfolk officials point to past incidents of terrorism, or scare tactics, all of which took place while sentries manned its gates.
One involved a group of people spilling blood aboard the former battleship Iowa to demonstrate their cause. They got on the base during an open-house tour of the ship, were caught and taken to federal court.
At another site, behind guarded fences at Newport News Shipbuilding, a similar group broke in and used hammers on the side of a nuclear-powered submarine that was sunder construction.
``So having a fence doesn't prevent it,'' said an officer.
While other local Navy facilities, such as Oceana, Little Creek and Dam Neck, retain sentries on their gates and limit access, those familiar with Flanagan's goals predicted that they too will relax their access policies.
Rear Adm. Robert S. Cole, commander of the Norfolk Naval Base, is the area coordinator for all navy facilities within a 50-mile radius of Norfolk.
Under new proposals, Cole would become the regional commander as well, having direct control over the base commanders at area bases.
``They will eventually do something similar,'' said an official. ``We don't know if it will be exactly the same because each one has different constraints. But what we try out here will spread.''
KEYWORDS: MILITARY BASES by CNB