MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif. -- Commanders from throughout the Marine Corps attended the Marine Installations Board aboard Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California, May 18 – 19.
The board serves as an opportunity for commanders to advise each other on Marine Corps wide concerns.
“So what happens is twice a year the commanding general of Marine Corps Installations Command and all the installation commanders talk about all the pertinent issues that affect the Marine Corps installations and support perspective,” said Col. John Farnam, MCAS Miramar commanding officer.
Installation commanders provide insight during the board to ensure the goal of supporting their bases’ civilian workers, Marines, Sailors and their families.
“If you don’t get together every once in a while, it doesn’t matter how big or how small your organization is, people are working very hard to move in different directions, but the effort starts to get diverse and people start moving away from the ultimate goal,” said Farnam. “Unless you meet at a regular interval to keep everyone focused on the end [goal].”
It also helps commanders understand they are not alone in facing their issues at their respective bases.
“So I’m realizing issues I’ve been having here, I’m not facing by myself,” said Farnam. “I can see that all the installations are facing similar issues, and we’re all working together to solve them.”
The discussions ranged from managing occupancy to reduction of civilian manpower and how to handle these changes.
“[We have to] meet the commandant’s intent to provide the infrastructure that the operating forces need while the budget gets smaller,” said Farnam. “It’s a never ending focus on that.”
The MIB is held every six months to ensure it is a continuing initiative for commanders to improve their installations and the welfare of their Marines.