Navy Official Vows Fight for Point Mugu

A top Navy official has promised “to personally and aggressively” defend the Point Mugu Navy Base in a meeting today with base-closing officials, according to congressional aides.

The pledge reverses the Navy’s earlier policy not to rebut arguments made by the Air Force or the Defense Department auditors that the Point Mugu base should be added to the list of military installations being scrutinized for closure.

Charles Nemfakos, the Navy’s principal coordinator of base-closing matters, made the promise after Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-Simi Valley) pressed him to respond to a controversial Defense Department report that advocated shuttering Point Mugu.

“Nemfakos assured us that he would personally and aggressively address this matter,” said Michael Wootton, Gallegly’s chief of staff. “He also assured us that Mugu is absolutely critical to the needs of the Navy.”

Nemfakos could not be reached for immediate comment.

Until now, the Navy has decided not to respond to each challenge to its bases. Instead, its policy was to rely on its arguments outlined in the official Defense Department recommendations sent to the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission in February.

In those recommendations, the Pentagon argued for retaining the Naval Air Warfare Center at Point Mugu and Ventura County’s other Navy base at Port Hueneme.

In a related development, Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer have joined Gallegly and Rep. Anthony C. Beilenson (D-Woodland Hills) in sending commissioners letters that argue for keeping open Point Mugu’s missile-testing operations and its sea test range.

The eight commissioners have scheduled a hearing on Wednesday in Washington, D.C., to vote on which bases should be added to the hit list of installations recommended by the Pentagon.

As of Friday, the commission staff had not decided whether to recommend Point Mugu to the commissioners for potential closure.