On P-8A Bases:
Posted on InsideDefense.com: May 9, 2014
The Navy will issue a final decision on the basing options for the P-8A Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft in late May or early June, following the release of a final supplemental environmental impact statement for the introduction of the aircraft into the Navy fleet.
The final SEIS, released April 25, looked at the potential environmental effects of several alternatives and identified a preferred alternative that would place six fleet squadrons in addition to a fleet replacement squadron at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, FL, six fleet squadrons at NAS Whidbey Island, WA, a permanent, rotating squadron detachment at Marine Corps Base Hawaii Kaneohe Bay, with periodic squadron detachments at the Naval Base Coronado Island, CA.
This alternative would mean 54 P-8A Poseidon aircraft home based at NAS Jacksonville and 42 aircraft at NAS Whidbey Island by 2020.
According to the final SEIS, this plan "is the preferred alternative because it meets mission requirements, optimizes operational efficiencies related to training and logistics support functions, minimizes environmental impacts, and provides cost savings," when compared to the other alternatives that would home base five fleet squadrons and the fleet replacement squadron at NAS Jacksonville, seven fleet squadrons at NAS Whidbey Island, also with a permanent, rotating squadron detachment at MCB Hawaii Kaneohe Bay and periodic squadron detachments at NB Coronado.
"Alternative 1 presents the greatest re-use of existing facilities and optimizes manpower, simulators, and facilities at NAS Jacksonville and NAS Whidbey Island," the final SEIS reads.
A "no action" alternative in the final SEIS "represents current conditions in April 2014 to be used as a baseline of comparison against which environmental consequences can be measured."
In 2009, after the Navy completed a final environmental impact statement in 2008, the assistant secretary of the Navy for energy, installations, and environment determined that the service would home base the P-8A squadrons at three locations. But since then, the Navy has determined that home basing the P-8A squadrons at two locations, instead of three, "could provide potential cost savings while still meeting current strategic operational objectives," according to the final impact statement.
"Dual-site home basing could provide potential cost savings while reducing redundancies and still meeting current strategic operational objectives," the executive summary of the final SEIS reads. "As such, this SEIS analyzes the environmental impacts associated with home basing aircraft at two rather than three locations."
While the final SEIS notes a preferred alternative, the Navy can still make a different final determination later this month.
"Although Alternative 1 has been identified as the preferred alternative, the Secretary of the Navy may choose any of the alternatives," according to a notice of availability for the final SEIS.
This decision is expected in late May or early June, within the 30-day timeline following the release of the final SEIS, Lt. Cmdr. Reann Mommsen told Inside the Navy last week.
The Navy released the draft SEIS in September and has since solicited public comment and involvement in determining the preferred alternative.
Public meetings were initially scheduled for NAS Whidbey Island on Oct. 8, 2013, and for NAS Jacksonville on Oct. 17, 2013, with a 45-day public comment period through November, but the federal government shutdown last fall pushed the public meetings to November and pushed the public comment timeline forward, according to the final SEIS.
"The public comment period was extended to December 2, 2013, to ensure the community had ample opportunity to provide input. In total, the public comment period comprised 76 days," the final SEIS states.
A total of 89 individuals signed in at the two public meetings and a total of 83 comments were received during the comment period, according to the document. The Navy then prepared responses and made revisions to the SEIS, which according to the final SEIS "do not alter any conclusions regarding the nature or magnitude of impacts on any resource."
Overall, comment topic areas included support for the P-8A basing, concerns about noise, safety and air quality, concerns about natural resources, and concerns about potential changes in flight operations at NAS Whidbey Island's Ault Field and Naval Outlying Field Coupeville as a result of the home basing.
In response to noise concerns, the Navy wrote that "Noise effects from the P-8A would be similar to those of the P-3C aircraft that it is replacing. The P-8A is approximately 1 to 2 dB louder than the P-3C during takeoff and landing, causing a slightly higher yet still comparable noise impact on the ground."
"While the P-8A is slightly louder than the P-3C, P-8A operations would decrease when compared to baseline P-8A and P-3C operations," the public response states. "This is because approximately 70% of P-8A flight training will be conducted in simulators, compared to the approximately 30% of P-3C flight training that currently occurs in simulators." The Navy's analysis, initially included in the draft SEIS, particularly evaluated the facilities available at each base, noting that NAS Jacksonville "has existing facilities appropriately sized to support five or six squadrons of P-8A aircraft plus the FRS."
The draft SEIS noted that NAS Whidbey Island has existing facilities "appropriately sized to support three P-3C squadrons" and would, therefore, need to be constructed to home base P-8A squadrons, since the P-3C aircraft is smaller and has different facility requirements than the P-8A.
"Home basing fewer than five squadrons and the FRS at NAS Jacksonville would result in additional construction and environmental impacts at NAS Whidbey Island," the Navy analysis reads, adding that siting anything fewer than five squadrons at NAS Jacksonville would also create excess capacity there.
"Accordingly, the process for developing home basing alternatives sought to ensure the efficient and economical transition to the P-8A at two locations," the final SEIS reads.
The Navy made its official initial operational capability announcement for the P-8A aircraft on Dec. 1, just as the War Eagles of Patrol Squadron-16 (VP-16) deployed with six Poseidons to Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan. The Navy then cleared the program for full-rate production on Jan. 3.
