Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Far East is celebrating National Public Works Week May 20-26 and this year's theme, "The Power of Public Works."

"Every day on our Navy installations, employees of the public works departments go out and support the Fleet, family and fighter," said NAVFAC Far East Commanding Officer Capt. Mike Kenney. "They provide drinking water, make sure the lights come and toilets flush. They make sure roads are safe and provide transportation."

What sets NAVFAC Far East public works departments (PWD) apart from civilian municipalities is the commitment to providing services that make the mission of the 7th Fleet and III Marine Expeditionary Force possible.

"We have a mission here to support the warfighter," said Public Works Officer Cmdr. Jason Wood, Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan. "We have the ability to service the Fleet and support the alliance [between the U.S. and its partners in the Indo-Pacific]. We have a greater responsibility and a greater need to ensure that the work we're doing is critical to the defense of world security and the Pacific Fleet. The Pacific area of responsibility has a lot of focus right now and we take that very seriously."

PWDs are the service delivery platform to installations and their tenant Commands. They maintain tens of thousands of components across thousands of facility and utility systems. Installation commanding officers rely on the public works department to maintain existing buildings and roads, provide electricity, water, and sanitation services, oversee the construction of new infrastructure, plan for future requirements, prioritize work based on fiscal constraints, and ensure compliance with environmental laws and regulations.

National Public Works Week is promoted by the American Public Works Association with a goal of educate the general public about the value and necessities of public works projects throughout North America.

If you would like to get in touch with your local public works department, find contact information at http://navfac.navy.mil/navfac_worldwide/pacific/fecs/far_east/contact_us.html


For more information, visit www.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/usnavy, or www.twitter.com/usnavy.

For more news from Naval Facilities Engineering Command, visit www.navy.mil/.