ODON – One team, one fight, one community. A unifying message of collaboration and shared commitment between the Naval Support Activity Crane installation and the counties surrounding the base was a common theme at the Crane Regional Defense Group’s State of the Installation Dec. 11 at WestGate Academy.
Cmdr. Luis Martinez delivered the State of the Installation address, which was the final engagement of CRDG’s Key Leader Series of 2024.
Martinez shared Team Crane’s strategic goals and gave an overview of proposed construction projects that will impact local businesses and communities.
Martinez was named NSA commander in 2023. NSA is home to the Naval Surface Warfare Center and Crane Army Ammunition Activity. As the third largest Navy installation in the world, the base is spread out over 62,000 acres. It contains 3,000 buildings, 1,800 storage magazines, 500 miles of road and 95 miles of active rail.
The base has grown to a workforce of 6,500 people made up of 98% civilians and defense contractors. NSA Crane is unique among military bases in that just 2% of its workforce serves in a military unit, Martinez said.
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Infrastructure is one of the responsibilities of the base commander. Martinez said Crane’s infrastructure has been largely unchanged since the base was established in 1941. Future upgrades are necessary to support ongoing and planned modernization of CAAA and NSWC operations. Martinez outlined those projects:
15-year modernization plan for CAAA and NSWC
- $160 million for the new CAAA pyrotechnics complex that will replace the current facility that was built in the 1940s. The new complex is needed to build the munitions of 2050, which includes countermeasures. The new complex, expected to exceed 50,000 feet of floor space, will have room to expand and offer increased levels of safety buffers over the current location.
- $35 million rail renovation that is currently in progress.
- $30 million hypersonics integration facility at WestGate will create 60-150 jobs with an average annual salary of $80,000
- $120 million in total investment for the microelectronics facility at WestGate. The facility will be contractor owned and operated.
- Projects that will soon be completed include a Strategic Systems Engineering Facility, Missile Technology Evaluation Facility and Flash X-ray.
Defense spending
Looking to the future of NSA Crane, Martinez said Indiana currently ranks No. 28 ($6.4 billion in fiscal year 2023) for national defense spending. Texas, ($71.6B) Virginia ($68.5B) and California ($60.8B) are the top three states, according to the US Department of Defense Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation.
Martinez wants to see Indiana break into the upper tier of the rankings.
Moving up in the rankings will take effort on all fronts from across the state both inside and outside the military bases, and a mindset shift from “This is good enough” to “We can be more.”
A skilled workforce, improved infrastructure, modernization and community resiliency to expand housing are necessary for bringing more people and investment to the region around Crane.
It’s a challenge that he said is worth pursuing.
“We have to make NSA Crane so important, it can’t be replaced, that’s what we need to do here,” he said.
About 100 attended Martinez’ address. To learn more about CRDG, register for 2025 events, or become a member, visit craneregionaldefensegroup.org.