by Bradley Parsons
Staff Writer
The campaign to keep Florida’s military bases open will soon be led by a man with a Jacksonville address.
Retired four–star Admiral Robert J. Natter will head the State’s defense of its 21 military bases from a 2005 round of base closings. Mayor John Peyton’s staff was informed earlier this week that Natter would soon be moving to Jacksonville, also home to his daughter, an officer at the Naval Air Station.
Including NAS, Duval County is home to four bases — Mayport Naval Station, Blount Island Command and Naval Aviation Depot Jacksonville — that are estimated to contribute to the local economy more than $115 million in tax revenue alone. Defense spending helped sustain more than 135,000 jobs in the county last year.
In a statement announcing the hiring of Natter’s team, Gov. Jeb Bush said the retired admiral possessed an equal understanding of the State’s military facilities and Washington, D.C.’s political networks.
“I have had the great privilege of working with Admiral Natter since 2001 and can attest to his personal understanding of the military value and unique assets presented be Florida’s installations to defense preparedness,” said Bush. “I am confident in his ability to represent Florida’s best interests . . . so we not only keep our military presence robust, but also increase the level of missions located here.”
Although the Pentagon has cited a need to reduce base capacity by 24 percent, Bush believes the state could actually expand its military presence by absorbing out–of–state military functions. The Natter team, which combines his own RJ Natter and Associates with defense lobbying team Piper Rudnick, boasts a roster of political and defense industry heavyweights to implement that plan.
In addition to Natter, a former commander of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet, the team comprises Dick Armey, former U.S. representative and author of the base closure legislation, four-star Air Force General Joe Ralston, a former vice chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and former Secretary of Defense William Cohen, among others.
“Florida views the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure process as an opportunity to grow its defense-related missions by maximizing joint-use among the services and highlighting the State’s overall value to military preparedness,” according to the statement.
For instance, the State will tout Blount Island as staging area for the Navy’s new sea-basing strategy. The new concept envisions clusters of ships stationed off hostile coasts, delivering troops, equipment, even air support to combat areas.
McCarthy circulated articles last week around City Hall, reporting the Navy’s fascination with sea-basing. All of this “glows brighter and brighter” for Blount Island’s future, McCarthy wrote in an accompanying e-mail.
According to the governor’s office, local knowledge of opportunities like Blount Island was crucial for the State’s lobbying efforts. The choice of Natter’s team was contingent on his ability to direct “efforts from Florida on a full-time basis.”
Natter worked earlier with governor’s office to relocate Navy training operations from Puerto Rico to Florida, including the U.S. Naval Southern Command, which moved to Mayport. Jacksonville has been well represented throughout the BRAC process. Early lobbying was led by Holland & Knight attorney and former U.S. Rep Tillie Fowler.