NAVFAC Proudly Building on 172 Year Navy Heritage

By Don Rochon, Naval Facilities Engineering Command Public Affairs

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) marked 172 years of providing facilities engineering expertise to support the mission readiness of Navy and Marine Corps commanders Aug. 31.

In 1842, Secretary of the Navy Abel P. Upshur officially established NAVFACs predecessor, the Bureau of Naval Yards and Docks, to execute the design, construction and maintenance of Navy yards and a few other shore stations around the eastern seaboard of the United States. Eventually the Bureau and its responsibilities would grow into the global enterprise known as NAVFAC, which was officially established in May 1966.

"I cannot be more proud of our team and how they live up to our rich heritage each and every day," said NAVFAC Commander and Chief of Civil Engineers Rear Adm. Kate Gregory. "NAVFAC civilians, Civil Engineer Corps officers and Seabees around the world are on the job 24-7 building and maintaining sustainable facilities, delivering utilities and services, and providing Navy expeditionary force capabilities wherever and whenever needed."

With 14 major commands located in the United States, Europe and Japan, NAVFACs support is visible around the globe on practically every Navy and Marine Corps installation. Nearly every pier, runway, building, gymnasium, barracks, road, utility plant and other shore facilities has been constructed or acquired by NAVFAC.

The command's worldwide team of planning, construction, facilities services and acquisition subject matter experts executed approximately 39,000 separate contract actions in fiscal year (FY) 2013 for $7.41 billion, including $2.3 billion in military construction support for the Navy, Marine Corps and other federal agencies.

Part of this construction effort consisted of 33 military construction projects in support of strategic combatant command missions at forward operating areas. Other construction projects supported the introduction of new Navy/Marine Corps weapons platforms and helped sustain critical operations around the world.

NAVFACs Public Works Departments respond to facilities service and emergency calls in a demanding 24-7 environment. This critical work is a vital enabler for what takes place daily on bases around the world, as more than 480,000 service calls and 51,000 emergency calls were recorded and completed last year.

Public Works Departments also reduced consumption of more than 11,000 gasoline gallon equivalents with E85 alternative fuel vehicles, installing electric vehicle solar carports and charging stations, and executing energy projects totaling $263 million for the Navy and $198 million for the Marine Corps.

The Navy's Energy Program, managed and executed by NAVFAC, is moving at a swift pace to meet the Secretary of the Navy's energy goals by focusing on significant energy efficiency improvements and integrating mission compatible alternative energy solutions at Navy and Marine Corps installations worldwide. In the past three years, the Navy has increased its annual production of sustainable energy. In FY 13 alone, NAVFAC awarded 140 energy projects that are estimated to save over 1.4 million MBTU of energy and almost seven million gallons of water annually.

In support of commander, Navy Installations Command and fleet readiness, NAVFACs Environmental business line completed six complex National Environmental Policy Act environmental impact statements and 26 environmental assessments to facilitate construction, training and testing for supported commanders.

NAVFACs Expeditionary Program Office and Expeditionary Warfare Center executed $174 million in Navy expeditionary equipment and warfighting requirements, including maintenance items for deploying Sailors, the reset of Navy mine resistant ambush protected vehicles, maritime pre-positioning support, port security barrier sustainment, critical tests for water purification systems and Navy Lighterage System testing.

NAVFACs Navy Crane Center evaluated over 170 shore weight handling programs worldwide, which collectively oversaw two million lifts, achieving one of the safest years of weight handling operations on record.

NAVFAC has a proud history of delivering exceptional products and services for supported commands since 1842. Building on 172 years of experience, the command continues to manage the planning, design, construction, contingency engineering, real estate, environmental and public works support for U.S. Naval shore facilities all over the world.