THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, September 9, 1995 TAG: 9509090276
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JACK DORSEY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Long : 104 lines
The nation's push to downsize the military has not been all bad, says Rear Adm. Paul D. Moses, who retired Friday after 34 years of service, the last two as commander of the largest naval base in the world.
``Thank goodness for downsizing. It gave us the motivation to do things differently ,'' he told 500 guests huddled beneath tents during one of this area's rare rainfalls this summer.
Moses, who turned over his command to Rear Adm. Robert S. Cole has spent most of his tenure here finding solutions to area problems caused by the nation's decision to drastically cut the size of the military.
He pointed out Friday that most common sense solutions come when ``the chips are down'' and that if ideas don't add value, ``bold innovations'' are required.
``This is not a wait and see game. The train is pulling out of the station and you better be on it,'' he said.
Moses is a 1961 Naval Academy graduate who commanded the frigate Roark and cruiser Halsey and served as chief of staff to NATO's Supreme Allied Commander here.
He is credited with being the architect of what is known as ``2010 Vision,'' a blueprint for the naval base that takes it into the 21st century.
It is, said Adm. William J. Flanagan Jr., commander of the Atlantic Fleet, ``a new standard and a beginning point for this community and Hampton Roads in general.''
Flanagan said Moses came into his job eager to accomplish his mission and leave a mark when he was finished.
``He said, `We cannot go into the 21st century the way we went into our last 50 years. It just won't work,' '' Flanagan recalled.
With 2010 Vision, Moses has insisted that his base operate at peak efficiency so no one will find a reason to take any of it away.
One theme of the 15-year plan is to establish ``hubs'' according to function: waterfront operations, logistics, industrial, administration, training, morale, welfare, medical and commercial.
It is always possible for military downsizing to throw a wrench into the plans, Moses has pointed out. It has for past commanders of the Norfolk Naval Base - most recently in 1993 with the decision to shut down at least one major area command, the Naval Aviation Depot - costing the area 4,000 jobs.
Still, Hampton Roads maintains its status as the largest naval complex in the world.
Every day 60,000 sailors and 16,000 civilians go to the Norfolk Naval Base for work, said Moses. It is home to 100 ships, including five carriers, 25 submarines, 73 other warships and 17 aircraft squadrons. It engages 60,000 automobiles and 900 18-wheel trucks each day.
It is responsible for 1,200 buildings on 5,200 acres, 42 miles of road and 14 miles of shoreline, has 48 places to eat, including three McDonalds, said Moses. And it contributes $6 billion to the area's economy annually.
Cole, who becomes the 42nd commander of the Norfolk Naval Base complex, which includes nearly all shore and support facilities spanning over a 50-mile radius of Norfolk, said the challenges are clearly ahead.
``Even though we are competing with lower budgets,'' said Cole in his address at the ceremony, ``we are fortunate we are not like some communities having to deal with the impact of base closings.
``Hampton Roads has not been dealt a staggering blow,'' said Cole. ``However, that doesn't mean the future is without challenge, or we can assume fiscal security.''
Cole is a 1963 graduate of Penn State, a fighter pilot with 250 combat missions in Vietnam and a former squadron commander. He commanded the oiler Canisteo and later the carrier Forrestal. His most recent assignment was as chief of staff for Joint Task Force Provide Promise, coordinating all U.S. military efforts in the former Republic of Yugoslavia. MEMO: ABOUT THE JOB
The Commander Norfolk Naval Base oversees the largest naval complex
in the world and is responsible for just about all of the Navy's real
estate within a 50-mile radius of Norfolk.
Here are some of the major areas of responsibility:
36,000 acres of land
6,750 buildings
Norfolk Naval Station and Naval Air Station on which are located:
Navy Supply Center, the largest ``store'' in the world.
Navy Aviation Depot, formerly Norfolk Naval Air Depot, where F-14
Tomcat and A-6 Intruder jets are repaired.
Home of 17 aircraft squadrons.
Chambers Field, where 200,000 take-offs and landings are recorded
every year. About 135,000 passengers and 50,000 tons of cargo leave the
field annually at its Military Airlift Command terminal, bound on daily
flights to Rota, Spain, Bahrain in the Persian Gulf, Naples, Italy, and
Guantanamo Naval Station, Cuba.
About 100 ships that call the 15-pier naval station their homeport.
Port operations controls more than 2,400 ship movements annually.
ILLUSTRATION: Photos by Bill Tiernan, Staff
Commander in Chief U.S. Atlantic Fleet Admiral William J. Flanagan
Jr., left, exchanges a hug with Rear Admiral Paul D. Moses at a
ceremony Friday. Flanagan said that Moses, former commanding officer
of the Norfolk base, helped set the base and Hampton Roads on a good
path for the 21st century.
Retired Rear Adm. Moses and his wife Mary leave the ceremony where
he was replaced by Rear Adm. Robert S. Cole, a graduate of Penn
State and a fighter pilot with 250 combat missions in Vietnam.
KEYWORDS: U.S. NORFOLK NAVAL BASE CHANGE OF COMMAND by CNB