by Caroline Gabsewics
Staff Writer
Members of the Navy League of the United States were happy to hear the ideas behind the possibility of reopening Cecil Field as a naval air station from Dan McCarthy, Jacksonville’s director of military affairs.
McCarthy spoke to about 60 members of the Navy League at The River Club atop Independent Square Thursday, focusing on Cecil Field and its future.
McCarthy, a retired U.S. Navy Captain, said as of nine days ago, Oceana Naval Base in Virginia Beach, Va. is on the table for closure as part of the Department of Defense’s Base Realignment and Closure proceedings. That, in turn, has raised the question of, “What are the chances that Cecil Field might be back in play,” said McCarthy.
“It would be a wonderful opportunity for the military community and a tremendous economic impact,” said McCarthy. “We are fortunate that the community we have has a lot of great things that make this the great military town we are.”
McCarthy, who played a significant role in the recent BRAC hearings and subsequent sparing of Naval Air Station Mayport, NAS Jacksonville and the Naval Depot, said they are looking very hard at the possibility of reopening Cecil Field and making sure to cover all of the bases.
“We are going to do everything within our power to make this possible,” he said. “This will give us a chance to bring 12,000 to 15,000 jobs to Jacksonville.”
Although everything at this point indicates Cecil may be reestablished as an air base, there are still questions that have to be answered. McCarthy said they have to take the issue one step at a time.
“I don’t know what will happen. This is still a chalkboard that we are writing on,” he said. “But they (the DOD) can decide they want to stay in Oceana or they can seize the opportunity with Cecil Field.”
McCarthy told the members of the Navy League at the luncheon that the League needs to stand up for Cecil Field.
“You need to help the community understand the value and significance of this,” he said. “This is gives a us a chance to do something good for the community.”
By reopening Cecil Field, McCarthy said the community can show the Department of Defense that this is where they want them to be, and to make it the kind of community that they want to be in.