New Commander Discounts Rumors of Closure, Cuts at Point Mugu Base

The incoming commander of the Naval Air Warfare Center at Point Mugu discounts rumors that the seaside missile-testing facility will face further consolidation of its operations or even their elimination as the Navy struggles to cut costs.

Rear Adm. Dana Bruce McKinney said he has received no indication from his Pentagon superiors that the Mugu facility, with its unique, 36,000-square-mile sea test range, is a candidate for closure.

Likewise, the 46-year-old officer says he does not know whether the sprawling base is on a hit list of the Defense Base Realignment and Closure Commission, a congressional body formed in 1990 to identify military installations that can be closed, reduced or consolidated to save tax dollars.

Starting in 1991, the commission began issuing lists of base closures and consolidations every two years. Its next list will be released in 1995.

So far, test and evaluation facilities such as Point Mugu have been largely spared the budget ax, but military officials at Mugu and China Lake fear that those bases will come under the commission’s scrutiny for the first time in 1995.

“The Navy is in a build-down mode that’s very much like a corporation whose market is shrinking,” McKinney said during a telephone interview from his home in Alexandria, Va., last week. “Our forces are shrinking and we are going to have to make some very hard decisions as to operations. I do know that each facility--Point Mugu and China Lake--make unique contributions to our nation’s defense.”

McKinney, a decorated naval aviator, was tapped to head the combined Point Mugu-China Lake naval weapons facilities last month. He will replace Rear Adm. William E. Newman, who is being transferred to the Naval Air Systems Command in Washington, D.C.

McKinney’s most recent job was as program manager of the Navy’s effort to equip its aging fleet of A-6 Intruder bombers with sophisticated radar-jamming technology and weapons systems.

But because McKinney will take up offices at the larger China Lake facility, some Point Mugu personnel are concerned that the future of the base may be in question. Those people believe that because McKinney will be located at the base near Ridgecrest, emphasis on Point Mugu as a weapons testing facility may decline.

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But McKinney said those concerns are unfounded.

“I don’t think people should place a lot of importance to where I am located,” McKinney said. “It really doesn’t make much difference where my flag is located. I figure that I will probably divide my time fairly evenly between the two bases.”

In January, 1992, on the order of the base realignment commission, Newman began consolidating the two bases and two small testing sites at Albuquerque and White Sands, N.M. The move, which placed all of the bases under one command, streamlined weapons testing and development and will save taxpayers an estimated $115 million by 1995.

Concern over Point Mugu’s fate was reflected by Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-Simi Valley), who said that he and his staff would carefully monitor the base if it is examined for potential reduction or closure by federal officials in 1995.

“It would be financially devastating for the economy of Ventura County to lose the base,” Gallegly said. “The economic structure of the county is dependent on Mugu. I don’t want to sound the alarm yet, but we should keep an eye on it.”

Additionally, the congressman said he wants to establish a combined watchdog and booster organization for the base next year. Gallegly wants to meet with the admiral as soon as possible to state his case for the preservation of the base.

Echoing Gallegly was Newman, who will be formally relieved by McKinney during ceremonies scheduled for Dec. 14.

“This is a person who has been in charge of one of the most politically driven programs I’ve ever seen,” Newman said, speaking of McKinney’s tenure as A-6 program manager. “He knows Washington and believe me, that’s a skill that comes in handy in the weapons evaluation and testing business. I’m sure he’s going to do well.”

McKinney, a UC Berkeley graduate who also holds a master’s degree in operations research from the Naval Post-Graduate School, has logged more than 3,000 hours flying the EA-6B Prowler and has made more than a 1,000 carrier landings. He is the recipient of the Navy’s Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal and Navy Unit and Meritorious Unit commendations.

McKinney said he supports women in the military, including their service in combat roles.

“When I was in the Philippines, we had women flying against us in adversarial roles during training,” McKinney said. “In my opinion, you couldn’t tell the difference. If they have the ability, then they should be given the chance. Performance is the only thing that counts in situations like that.”

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Named the 1981 Tailhook Assn. Pilot of the Year, McKinney said that other than attending the 1981 convention to receive the award, he has never attended any of the annual conventions of Navy and Marine aviators and their boosters--including the now infamous Tailhook Convention in 1991, where dozens of women say they were sexually harassed and assaulted by drunken aviators.

“I can tell you that Tailhook has been a significant emotional experience for the Navy, but I think that we will be stronger as a result of it,” McKinney said. “I think we are more sensitive to the issue of sexual harassment and women’s issues in general.”

Regarding gays in the military, McKinney said the issue remains “unresolved.”

“I will carry out whatever policies and directives are handed down to me,” McKinney said. “That is a subject that I’ll leave to the policy-makers above me.”

McKinney said he expects to be fully moved in by the end of January and looks forward to being part of a field command again and requalifying as a pilot. He hasn’t flown a fighter aircraft since 1987, he said.

“I’m hoping that after I get settled in at China Lake, I’ll be able to do some flying again,” McKinney said.

While in charge of the center, McKinney will be separated from his wife, Anne Elizabeth, a Navy lieutenant commander. Early next year, she will be stationed at a Navy communications facility in London. The McKinneys, married for 19 years, have no children.

“I’m very happy with this assignment,” McKinney said. “Anne and I will be separated, but it’s a great opportunity for both of us. We have plans to see each other every few months.”