All Hands, Varied Strategies Needed to Defend Navy Bases

Like a lookout scanning the horizon from high in the rigging of a tall ship, the political defenders of Ventura County’s Navy bases can never relax their vigilance for even a moment.

True, right now the coast appears to be clear. No further moves toward military downsizing are expected to threaten Point Mugu or Port Hueneme for the next two years. But at any moment new peril could appear, sending local officials, our representatives in Sacramento and Washington, and our hired-gun lobbyists scrambling to their familiar battle stations.

It has been this way for years, and there is no reason to expect a permanent all-clear.

The two bases are important to Ventura County in many ways. Together they contribute nearly a billion dollars a year to the local economy. Their combined work force of more than 15,000 makes them the county’s largest employer.

In addition, the Navy’s salty presence permeates the history and character of the cities of Port Hueneme and Oxnard.

The bases are also important to the Navy, even in the less starkly polarized world order that has replaced the Cold War. Ever-higher-tech weaponry will require more research and testing, the specialty of Point Mugu. Peacekeeping and mercy missions in the Third World will present new challenges in construction and logistics, the specialty of Port Hueneme.

It makes sense for Ventura County to take all reasonable steps to preserve the bases. To that end, county taxpayers spend tens of thousands of dollars each year on Washington lobbyists.

At home, the county is also pursuing two equally sensible, if seemingly opposite, strategies:

* Make the bases more essential to the Navy, by enlarging their role (such as recently luring a squadron of E2 radar planes from Miramar Naval Air Station near San Diego) and recruiting private-sector clients to use--and help pay for--facilities on base.

* Make the bases less essential to Ventura County, by helping local defense contractors find new markets for their goods and services, thereby reducing dependence on the military.

In short, work for the best but prepare for the worst. Both approaches are crucial to ensuring Ventura County’s economic future.

Disagreement over the relative merit of these strategies was one factor in Supervisor John K. Flynn’s recent resignation from the Regional Defense Partnership 21st Century task force, which he chaired. He wanted $200,000 of grant money from the county’s federally funded Economic Development Collaborative to help with Strategy A; Supervisor Frank Schillo and the collaborative declined, saying the money in question could only be properly spent on Strategy B.

In a letter to task force members after Flynn resigned, Schillo said he is looking for a legal way that the collaborative’s money can be used to fund the task force’s non-lobbying efforts.

Over the years, Flynn has contributed heroically to the repeated defense of the bases. We urge him to return to active duty in this ongoing effort. His energy and expertise are as needed as ever.

The Times supports vigorous efforts to keep the bases here and healthy, and to attract new activities that are compatible with the rest of Ventura County’s priorities. But since the ultimate decision on the fate of the bases will always rest in Washington, we recognize the wisdom of starting now to wean ourselves from over-reliance on them.