Amidst efforts to reduce the spread of COVID-19, such as ‘shelter in place’ orders and social distancing measures, NSA Monterey has adopted the virtual town hall as a primary means of mass communication to its tenant commands, staff and their families.

Using the online streaming services of the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS), NSA Monterey’s largest tenant command, installation and tenant command leadership have participated in six virtual town halls since March 12. On average, more than 1,000 viewers have been online simultaneously to watch or participate. The town halls have provided virtual attendees regular interactive gatherings to discuss the dynamic pandemic environment as the mission continues both on base and in homes throughout the central coast of California.

“There is no substitute for dialogue in the COVID-19 environment,” said NSA Monterey Commanding Officer Captain Rich Wiley. “The Virtual Town Halls provide an efficient and effective way to communicate timely information to our tenant commands. They are key in enabling our effort to stay on mission to support our tenants while complying with state and local shelter in place orders to the maximum extent practical.”

Over the course of six town halls, NSA Monterey and tenant leadership have made key adjustments to their presentation along the way to better meet health protection measures and deliver a better dialogue between them and the audience. At first, leaders delivered town halls together in the same room, but as social distancing guidelines evolved, they now gather via online collaboration tools from individual locations. These tools allow them to both connect with their audience and for the audience to connect to back to them by electronically sending questions in real-time.  

“Our first town hall and our most recent were quite different” said Wiley. “We are using all of our options and refining our capabilities to keep information flowing to and from each and every tenant audience. The more questions we receive and answer in this changing situation, the better we maintain our readiness and the well-being of our community.”

For the April 14 town hall, Monterey City Manager Hans Uslar joined the collaborative conversation from his home to contribute a local city government perspective.

“We are all facing unforeseen challenges,” said Uslar. “We are all doing our best to contain the spread of COVID-19. The city appreciates the partnership, and we have done good work jointly to help flatten the curve.”

According to NPS Ombudsman Heather James, information is vital during this time, and families having access to first-hand information is helping tremendously.

“Hearing from NSA Monterey and tenant leadership is the most important aspect of the town halls,” said James. “Being able to have spouses and families hear information directly from leaders is helping to calm fears, which allow our Sailors to continue on with their mission.”

The Virtual Town Halls were made possible with existing capabilities of NPS' Information Technology and Communications Services (ITACS). ITACS has been quick to adapt to the changing conditions created by COVID-19.

“The ITACS team at NPS has made our virtual connection with our people and their families possible,” said Wiley. “Their support has been invaluable in helping us deliver timely, up-to-date information to our community.”

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