COURTESY OF NAVBASE KITSAP
By QUINN PROPST
Ward Media Staff Reporter
As Commanding Officer of one of the U.S. Navy’s most strategically significant installations, Captain John Hale brings a rare blend of operational expertise, long-term vision, and community-minded leadership to Naval Base Kitsap (NBK). A career submariner who previously commanded both the USS Nevada and USS Kentucky from NBK’s Bangor site, Hale stepped into his current role in February 2023. Now tasked with overseeing a base that supports more than 80 tenant commands—including aircraft carriers, ballistic missile submarines, and the Navy’s largest fuel depot in the Pacific—he’s focused on delivering mission-critical support while deepening ties with the surrounding communities.
In this Q&A, Captain Hale reflects on his path from the Appalachian Mountains of Tennessee to the Pacific Northwest, outlines his top priorities at NBK, and shares his vision for a base that’s operationally ready, environmentally responsible, and rooted in regional partnership.
Please tell our readers a little bit about yourself.
I’m a northeast Tennessee native, where I grew up in the hills of the Appalachian Mountains. I left that area to attend the United States Naval Academy in 1994. After receiving my commission as a Naval Officer in 1998, I was trained in Submarine Warfare and served on numerous submarines and related staff assignments over the span of twenty-five years, including tours as Executive Officer of USS Nevada (Blue Crew) and Commanding Officer of USS Kentucky (Blue Crew), both here at Naval Base Kitsap. I took command of Naval Base Kitsap in February 2023.
Today, I’m a western Washington transplant, as my wife and I have come to love this area, with its scenic beauty and a climate that we truly enjoy (even in the rainy months). We plan to remain in the area after I retire from the Navy.
Please tell our readers about Naval Base Kitsap.
Naval Base Kitsap (NBK) as it exists today was formed in 2004, when Naval Station Bremerton and Naval Submarine Base Bangor were combined into a single installation. Although headquartered at Bremerton, NBK encompasses multiple sites and properties across Kitsap, Mason, and Jefferson Counties, including Manchester, Bremerton, Jackson Park, Camp McKean, Camp Wesley Harris, Keyport, and Bangor. The base spans over 11,000 acres and more than 170 miles of waterfront, making us uniquely positioned to support both surface and subsurface operations.
NBK is home to over 80 separate Navy commands, including:
- Navy Region Northwest, which provides oversight and support to Navy bases and activities across 11 states, from Alaska to Oregon and eastward to Minnesota and Iowa
- Eight ballistic missile submarines assigned under the command of Submarine Group Nine, a cornerstone of our nation’s strategic deterrent, and other commands that specifically support those vessels
- Two aircraft carriers, USS Nimitz (CVN-68) and USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76)
- Numerous fast-attack submarines, including the nation’s only large-volume research and development submarine
- Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PSNS & IMF), our region’s premier maintenance and modernization facility
- Naval Undersea Warfare Development Center (NUWC) Division Keyport, which sustains current undersea warfare technology and explores new capabilities for the future
We’re proud to support over 40,000 military personnel, civilian employees, and contractors that serve at the commands onboard NBK. This includes approximately 15,000 Sailors, one of the largest concentrations of U.S. Navy personnel on the West Coast.
NBK has a significant impact on the Kitsap region—economically, socially, and environmentally. How would you describe the base’s current relationship with surrounding communities, and where do you see room for improvement?
Our relationship with Kitsap County’s communities is fundamentally strong, built on mutual respect and shared prosperity, but success as a naval installation is inseparable from the health and prosperity of our surrounding communities. Our civilian employees and active-duty service members, and their families, are deeply integrated into local schools, volunteer organizations, and civic activities. Both the base itself as well as PSNS & IMF maintain active partnerships with local governments, school districts, and community organizations.
While our foundation is solid, any successful relationship requires continuous commitment and effort. There are a few areas where we can continue to strengthen this vital relationship:
- Infrastructure coordination, by working more closely with county and municipal planners on transportation and utility improvements to address growth impacts
- Workforce development, by expanding partnerships with local educational institutions to create pathways between military service and civilian careers in the region
- Environmental collaboration, by enhancing joint efforts on Puget Sound restoration and other initiatives
- Communication, through regular dialogue about base operations and potential impacts to the surrounding community
What role does the base play in workforce development and opportunities for civilians in the area?
Federal civilian employees serve in a wide array of roles across both NBK and the commands here, from skilled trades to program management to administrative support, all vital to our mission. Within the functions specific to the base, we offer a variety of comprehensive leadership and skills training to both our civilian and military team members throughout the year. Many of the larger commands at NBK, especially those with a predominantly civilian workforce, have their own programs geared toward the specific needs and skill sets of their employees. Because those commands best know their own needs, they tailor these programs to communicate employment opportunities and develop the necessary skills that enable a full and productive career in federal service. The base and these commands frequently participate in area job fairs or other hiring events to help advertise job opportunities and inform area residents of the benefits of federal service.
How does NBK support sailors transitioning to civilian life, and what role do local employers play in that process?
All service members that separate or retire from the service are required to attend the Transition Assistance Program (TAP). This program, conducted by NBK’s Fleet and Family Support Center, provides vital workshops and resources to help prepare our service members for civilian life. This includes resume writing, interview skills, financial planning, navigating veteran’s benefits, and exploring education and entrepreneurship paths. Local employers frequently participate in the TAP curriculum, in a “brown bag” lunch setting, to discuss how a military skillset transfers to employment opportunities within their businesses. Business participation in TAP rotates on a regular basis.
Are there any standout partnerships or collaborations with Kitsap County institutions—such as schools, nonprofits, or businesses—that you’re particularly proud of?
We work hard to collaborate with local jurisdictions on critical planning initiatives to ensure compatible growth and shared success. One example is the Joint Land Use Study, a document jointly developed with local governments to ensure compatible land use activities around the installation, addressing key areas like transportation access, shared infrastructure coordination, and shoreline activities. Another good example is the Joint Compatibility Transportation Plan (JCTP), a recently completed effort by the City of Bremerton, funded by the Department of Defense, that was designed to strategically inform future growth decisions within the context of Navy mission readiness. These collaborative efforts underscore our dedication to being a good neighbor and ensuring the mutual success of the missions conducted at NBK and the surrounding communities.
What are your top priorities during your tenure as Commanding Officer of NBK?
My priorities have run along two separate lines: improving the quality and effectiveness of our day-to-day support activities, and ensuring that long-term infrastructure modernization efforts will continue to provide the capabilities necessary for the Navy to successfully accomplish the missions based here at NBK.
It will always be important to ensure that our products and services meet the needs of our active-duty Sailors as best we can, but those efforts must always be balanced against a limited pool of resources. Every dollar we spend needs to achieve maximum effect, so it is important to continually assess where we can improve the quality of what we provide, or re-target our efforts to where they will have a greater impact.
With the Navy’s investment in NBK across a multitude of mission sets, the long-term plan for infrastructure improvements and modernization efforts must consider all stakeholders and ensure all needs are met. These plans must also achieve a proper level of environmental responsibility and stewardship. At NBK, these future plans can often be complex and involve numerous stakeholders, so our dedicated efforts today will pay dividends toward hard decisions in the future.
What are some of the major infrastructure or modernization projects currently underway or planned at NBK, and how do they align with the Navy’s strategic goals?
The biggest modernization project on the horizon is the Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program (SIOP). PSNS & IMF is one of only four public shipyards and a critical part of our Navy’s strategic readiness. SIOP is a vital investment to address critical deficiencies in dry dock capability, capacity, and seismic survivability, ensuring the shipyard can continue its mission of supporting the newest classes of ships and submarines for decades to come.
The NBK-Manchester fuel storage tank replacement is another huge infrastructure project currently underway. The fuel depot at NBK-Manchester is the largest fuel depot in the Pacific. This construction project will replace 28 underground WWII-era fuel storage tanks with six modern above ground steel tanks. This fuel depot is a critical link in providing the necessary fuels and lubricants to area ships, submarines, and aircraft.
There will also be a significant amount of modernization required at NBK-Bangor to support the arrival of a new class of ballistic missile submarine, ensuring a credible sea-based strategic deterrent well into the latter half of this century.
How has your leadership style evolved over the course of your Navy career, and how does it guide your approach at a complex installation like NBK?
My leadership philosophy has been shaped by nearly three decades of naval service. Early in my career, leadership was about mastering technical competencies and leading small teams through clearly defined tasks and objectives. As I progressed through my career at sea – from department head to executive officer to commanding officer – I learned that effective leadership scales not through micromanagement, but through empowerment, clear communication, and building trust across increasingly complex organizations. Leading an organization as complex as NBK requires “360-degree leadership” – simultaneously managing upward to Navy leadership, across to area partners and federal agencies, downward to the workforce, and outward to our community stakeholders.
What message do you want the sailors and civilians under your command to hear most clearly from their leadership?
NBK is a large and complex base, housing a diverse portfolio of Navy missions – nowhere else in the world do we combine all the missions conducted onboard NBK under the support of a single installation. As such, the efforts of NBK staff, both civilian and military, play a critically important role in supporting the Navy’s presence here in the Pacific Northwest. What they do every single day matters, and it makes a difference in the lives of active-duty service members and their families.
What motivates you every day in this role?
The scope of responsibility in this assignment is significant and varied, and drastically different from my previous assignments within the Submarine Force. As such, each day tends to bring new challenges, and an opportunity to learn more about the underlying processes of facilities and infrastructure management. I find it truly rewarding to dive into these challenges, not just to better understand how we accomplish things, but to also provide the NBK staff a warfighter’s perspective on why these services are important to the day-to-day missions accomplished on the base.
What are your long-term goals for NBK, and what legacy would you like to leave behind?
I would like to ensure that NBK continues to provide the necessary support for the missions conducted here, while also serving as a model for sustainable military operations. Future generations should see this installation as proof that national security and environmental stewardship are not just compatible but mutually reinforcing. I want to be remembered as a commanding officer who strengthened NBK’s foundation for the future – who enhanced our warfighting capability while deepening our community roots. Success means the commander who follows me inherits an installation that’s operationally superior, environmentally exemplary, and integrated within the community.
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