Streamlining Urged for Point Mugu Test Site : Defense: The local facility will also eliminate 820 jobs over the next five years if suggested cutbacks are approved.

The Pacific Missile Test Center at Point Mugu will have to streamline operations and eliminate hundreds of jobs over five years if recommendations by U.S. Defense Secretary Dick Cheney on Friday are approved by President Bush and Congress.

Cheney has called for more than 30 major military bases to close and for dozens of others to consolidate operations, including the Point Mugu facility. The center is responsible for testing and evaluating the Navy’s most sophisticated jet fighters, high-tech missiles and other weaponry.

Cheney submitted his recommendations Friday to an independent commission assigned to review and possibly modify the proposals before presenting them to the President and Congress.

The base closings and reductions being sought are part of an overall strategy to shrink U.S. military forces by about 25% over the next five years to reflect a reduced Soviet threat and tighter federal budgets, Navy officials said.

If Cheney’s recommendations are approved, operations at the Point Mugu facility will be consolidated with those at the Naval Weapons Center at China Lake, said Bob Hubbert, a spokesman for the Ventura County base. The Point Mugu facility will have to eliminate 820 jobs over the next five years, which would be accomplished through attrition and retirement, Hubbert said.

“For example, we may hire only one person for every two that leave,” Hubbert said.

There are 3,300 military personnel and 6,400 civil service and contract employees at the center. Hubbert said it is uncertain whether the jobs that would be eliminated would include military or civilian positions, or both.

Navy officials said they did not know if Cheney’s recommendations would affect the U.S. Naval Construction Battalion Center at Port Hueneme. About 10,000 military and civilian personnel work at the Seabee base.

Hubbert said officials at Point Mugu and China Lake were given orders nearly a year ago by the Navy to begin working on plans to consolidate their research, development and testing operations.

“This is not something that happened overnight,” he said. “We’ve known for months we were going to have to restructure and realign ourselves.

“What the Navy is doing is trying to make sure that folks doing research and development in different places, primarily do it in one place to save some bucks. We’re just being asked to do more with less.”

But Hubbert could not say what programs or operations at the missile test center might be eliminated or joined with those at the Naval Weapons Center at China Lake, which may have to transfer or eliminate 1,100 personnel positions.

Officials at China Lake could not be reached for comment.

In a statement released Friday, Rep. Robert J. Lagomarsino (R-Ventura) said he was concerned about Cheney’s recommendations but noted that they could have been worse.

“Fortunately, this is not as drastic as other areas around the country facing complete closure of bases,” Lagomarsino said in the statement. “The good news is that it is highly unlikely that any further cuts will be made.”

Although the missile test center annually pumps about $260 million into Ventura County’s economy, county business leaders were not worried since the cutbacks would happen over such a long period of time.

“I don’t expect any real impact,” said Richard Ball, senior vice president of Ventura County National Bank. “To me, 800 jobs over five years is nothing.”

Lt. Phillip McGuinn, a Navy spokesman in Washington, said the special eight-member commission that is reviewing Cheney’s recommendations will begin holding public hearings on the proposals on Monday.

McGuinn said the commission has until July 1 to alter the proposals before submitting them to the President and Congress. Lawmakers will be able to accept or reject the commission’s list, but will not be able to make changes in it.

Times staff writer Hugo Martin and correspondent Jack Searles contributed to this story.

POINT MUGU’S PACIFIC MISSILE TEST CENTER The test center was first established in 1946.

Its mission is to conduct research and testing of the Navy’s most sophisticated jet fighters, high-tech missiles, electronic warfare and other weaponry.

The main base complex is spread out over 4,500 acres, located about 10 miles southeast of Oxnard on the Ventura County coastline.

Employees of the Test Center include 3,300 military personnel and 4,400 civilian service workers. There are an additional 2,000 contract employees.

Center contributes approximately $260 million annually to the county’s economy.

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