Editorial: If you want to know what the Navy’s doing, please ask

It has been just over a month since I assumed command at NAS Whidbey Island, and I must admit that the welcome I have received has been beyond anything I could have wished. I certainly appreciate all the expressions of kindness and generosity of those individuals whom my family and I have had the pleasure of meeting. I have also been impressed by the immense expressions of support for the Navy’s mission and presence here.

I am very aware that some neighbors in the local area are opposed to our aircraft operations from NAS Whidbey Island, particularly when it comes to noise generated by the EA-18G Growler.

As a naval aviator who flew in the F-14 Tomcat and F-18E/F Super Hornet, along with several tours on aircraft carriers, I am very familiar with tactical jet aircraft noise and the measures we take on the flight line and at sea to work and live in that environment.

Tactical jet aircraft are all loud and I am familiar with the Growler as it is essentially a Super Hornet with some different internal systems and pods. From both a tactical perspective and to be a good neighbor, the Navy would prefer all of its aircraft to be virtually silent. However, the by-product of power and performance is noise. Every year the Navy and others continue research to make high-performance engines more efficient and more quiet; defense and commercial aviation industries want that. When those technologies become available and viable, I am certain the Navy will implement them.

One of the current issues here pertains specifically to the Navy’s home-basing Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Growler, especially the Navy’s operational preferred alternative that significantly increases Field Carrier Landing Practice (FCLP) training operations at OLF Coupeville.

Training is the foundation of everything we do in the Navy to ensure operational readiness and safety. Our Navy pilots are highly skilled and must train to perform at the best of their abilities. The most challenging task we ask of our Navy pilots is to land on a moving aircraft carrier, especially at night in bad weather after completing a long mission.

The purpose of an OLF like the one here on Whidbey Island is to support FCLPs. It ensures that our pilots have the best and most realistic training that reinforces the correct habits, patterns and procedures for our pilots to land safely on an aircraft carrier.

FCLP operations are conducted intermittently throughout the year, about five to 10 days before our pilots must operate from an aircraft carrier. It requires periods of concentrated training, followed by little or no activity for days, weeks and months, while the pilots are away. Yes, the Navy wants to increase its current level of operations at OLF from 6,120 to 23,700 per year – about a four-fold increase. But what does that really mean? Over the last three years, OLF Coupeville has been used about 90 hours/year or about one percent of the time. The Navy is proposing an increase in operations at the OLF to about 360 hours/year or about four percent of the time.

The proposed increase of activities under the Navy’s preferred alternative will also recommend the establishment of an Accident Potential Zone (APZ) at OLF Coupeville.

One claim is the Navy will “require” Island County to condemn and purchase all of the incompatible use property in the APZ around OLF Coupeville. This is simply not true, nor is it an accurate description of how many other states like Arizona, California, Florida, Texas and Virginia have addressed similar land use challenges with a large military presence.

Under the Air Installations Compatible Use Zone (AICUZ) Program, the Navy identifies noise zones and APZs as a land use planning tool and works long-term with local communities to address incompatible land uses.

Building on the Growler EIS analysis, the Navy will initiate an AICUZ study update that reviews current land-use patterns and existing zoning codes, and will make recommendations to address incompatible development aligned with the Navy’s record of decision. Using a grant from the Department of Defense Office of Economic Adjustment, the municipality may opt to study how best to update current local planning and zoning ordinances to support future land use planning decisions.

The bottom line is there are many methods and tools for addressing incompatible land use, but those methods and tools will take time to accomplish in order to balance the needs of the community and the military installations.

The other issue I want to address pertains to the length of the OLF and claims that it is inadequate due to runway length.For full use airfields such as Ault Field, the Navy requires a runway length over 8,000 feet. A full use runway is one where regular takeoffs and landings occur. OLF Coupeville is 5,400 feet in length but does not support full operations. While Navy criteria doesn't specifically address runway length for FCLP, OLF Coupeville has safely supported high performance jet aircraft FCLP for decades.

I’ve already spent time talking with key leaders in local communities and at the state level. My staff, as well as other Navy officials, regularly meet with members of the community through a variety of ways about a number of issues, and will continue to do so.

We believe it is important to engage transparently, and above all honestly. Even if people do not like what the Navy is proposing, we believe engaging about those issues candidly is the only truly viable approach.

If you want to really know what the Navy is doing here or is planning to do, please ask us. We expect people to be skeptical. You have a right to know what your Navy is doing because it is your Navy in the pacific Northwest and we are working to be the Navy the nation needs.

Capt. Matt Arny is commanding Officer of Naval Air Station Whidbey Island