Carol Johnson, Southern Indiana Business Report
CRANE – The White River Military Alliance celebrated five years of accomplishments Tuesday with a luncheon that brought together state and local leaders, stakeholders from five counties and the leadership of Naval Support Activity Crane.
The Alliance formed in 2018 to promote positive development and growth in the communities that surround NSA Crane. More than 100 attended the event in the Lakeview Conference Center.
As the third largest US Navy base in the world, NSA Crane covers 64,000 acres and employs 6,500 people, making its daytime population larger than many of the communities that surround the base.
The local and military members of the Alliance recognize that the mutual well being of Crane and the neighboring communities is critical for continued growth of the region’s defense economy.
Rear Admiral (Ret.) Charles W. Rock, who had oversight of 14 Navy bases as commander of the Navy Region Mid-Atlantic, praised the Alliance for how much it accomplished in five years.
“Your accomplishments are impressive in themselves. What’s always stood out for me is the spirit of cooperation and diversity you bring, all backed by enduring support from Washington and Indianapolis,” Rock said. “The Alliance represents the heart and soul of this community where equal, respectful voices with the best interest of the collective good, support each other to promote community, conservation and economic growth. There are other community alliances around the country, but none as effective as White River,” he said.
Rock, and other speakers, pointed to the accomplishments of the past five years, including:
- Creation of a Land Conservation Toolkit to help adjacent landowners identify conservation resources
- Memorandum of Understanding to improve communication between NSA Crane and surrounding communities
- MOU 911 agreement that has improved emergency response times on base
- Education programs
- Creation of Crane Regional Defense Group to elevate the strategic value of Crane
- Passage of two Indiana Senate bills and two Indiana House bills affecting military bases and families
- Adopting a Military Compatibility Handbook
- Completing 90% of tasks recommended by the Joint Land Use Study
“This represents a shining example of partnership, leadership and cooperation for all military communities to emulate,” Rock said.
On a lighter note, Rock noted that now that he’s retired he can admit that Crane was always his favorite of the bases he oversaw.
“Crane has always been my favorite,” he said.
Comparing the base to a model child, he said, “You never get into any trouble. You play nice with others. You always get good grades, you were super low maintenance,” he said.
Alliance: ‘Our work is not done’
Other speakers were NSA Cmdr. Luis Martinez, Brianne Jerrels, Alliance president; Denny Spinner, executive director of the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs; Adam Tscherne, vice president of defense missions and assets for the Indiana Department of Economic Development; and Mark Dobbs, Community Planning and Liaison officer at NSA Crane.
Jerrels pointed to the swift progress by the Alliance since its inception.
“Over the last five years, the Alliance has worked tirelessly to address the 87 recommendations outlined in the 2017 Joint Land-Use Study. We are proud to say that list is 90% complete,” said Jerrels. “However, our work is not done, and we look forward to the next five years and the accomplishments still to come with the help of our valuable partners and stakeholders.”
The event celebrated the collaboration between NSA Crane and WRMCA. Martinez said that close connection between Crane and community partners began in 1941 when the base opened and is now deeply ingrained in the base’s high-tech mission to support the warfighter.
“WRMCA’s unwavering support and purpose to protect the military missions at Crane, while also affording opportunities for economic and community growth is a special relationship,” Martinez said. “The installation and communities’ needs are interwoven together in a symbiotic relationship. We cannot operate without our community partners and they rely on us as well. While NSA Crane is the third largest Naval installation in the world, it’s also the third largest job employer in southern indiana.”
Plank Owner award recipients
The efforts of Alliance founding members who set the stage for the role the Alliance would play were honored with Plank Owner awards. In Navy terms, a Plank Owner is an individual who was a member of a ship’s crew when that ship was placed in commission.
Awards were presented to:
- Brianne Jerrels, Greene County Economic Development executive director
- Jerry Braun, Westgate Authority board member
- Greg Jones, Southern Indiana Development Commission executive director
- Matt Craig, Radius Indiana director of Crane Community Support
- Ed Michael, Greene County commissioner
- Tina Peterson, Regional Opportunity Initiatives CEO
- Clint Lamb, mayor of Sullivan
WRMCA includes five counties and nine cities and towns. The counties are Greene, Daviess, Martin, Lawrence and Sullivan.
Those in attendance also were treated to a dozen demonstrations of NSA Crane programs.