Newport Now the Hub for Service Support Center
Navy NewsStand
Story Number: NNS090715-31
Release Date: 7/15/2009 10:07:00 PM
By Scott A. Thornbloom, Naval Station Training Command Public Affairs Office and Lisa Rama, Naval Station Newport Public Affairs Office
NEWPORT, R. I. (NNS) -- The Center for Service Support, the second command to arrive onboard Naval Station (NAVSTA) Newport as a result of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) recommendations, officially opened for operation July 8.
Ribbon-cutting ceremonies were held outside the newly renovated Fitzgerald Hall, formerly part of the Surface Warfare Officers School Command campus.
"This occasion marks the conclusion of several years of hard work," Lotring said Rear Adm. Arnold Lotring, chief operating officer, Naval Education and Training Command (NETC), who served as guest speaker.
"Change is never easy, but as the BRAC of 2005 directed, there has been a phenomenal seamless move of CSS and the Supply School to Newport."
According to the CSS Executive Officer, Cmdr. William Darney, the schools that fall under the umbrella of CSS were "out there like stray dogs and cats. This new facility will give them the guidance and leadership that any headquarters would give any commands, or schools, under it."
Capt. Michel Poirier, commanding officer, NAVSTA Newport and Capt. Bernard D. Dunn welcomed guests to the ceremony. CSS is now a tenant command of NAVSTA Newport. Dunn is a supply corps officer, who recently transferred from Athens, Ga., along with CSS, to take command in Newport.
"For me this is a homecoming," Dunn said. "I got my start at Officer Candidate School (OCS) here, and I have a number of family members in the area. We struggled with the necessity of operating one command from two places a thousand miles apart for over a year. But now, with one CSS here, we will be able to strengthen our Newport beachhead and grow our training, guidance and command presence."
The CSS staff of 20 military and 40 full time civilian personnel will direct the training efforts of 13 different schools around the nation, to ensure curriculum is current and develop innovative training methods aimed at preparing Sailors to excel in their fleet assignments.
Through its 13 schools, CSS instructors and support staff will be responsible for graduating nearly 12,000 officers and enlisted annually in the administrative, logistics and media communities.
With the establishment of CSS, the Navy is poised to realize the chief of naval operations' goal of becoming an "employer of choice," while continuing to increase the Navy's operational readiness and Sailors' warfighting skills.
CSS adds to a growing list of new commands at NAVSTA Newport.
OCS Pensacola in Florida returned to merge with OCS Newport in 2008 — after a 15-year absence — bringing with it close to 1,000 students who go through the program each year. Chief Warrant Officer/Limited Duty Officer School also arrived last year.
The Navy Supply Corps School will relocate from Athens, Ga., and is slated to open in new facilities in January 2010, with 2,500 students per year, 100 active-duty positions and 80 civilian jobs.
By 2010, the number of students attending educational programs in Newport is expected to increase by 3,600 from the pre-BRAC levels.
For more news from Naval Service Training Command, visit www.navy.mil/local/greatlakes/.
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