"The Navy has made a decision where to spend the money and we have the responsibility to do the best we can with what we've got," said Vice Adm. Dixon Smith, commander, Navy Installations Command (CNIC), March 24, to Naval Station Newport leadership and department heads.

Smith made his comments at a morning roundtable discussion prior to an installation tour at NAVSTA Newport.

Smith, his wife Kiki, and Rear Adm. Jack Scorby Jr., commander, Navy Region Mid-Atlantic, arrived March 24 for a full day visit to Naval Station Newport.

Following the roundtable, Capt. Dennis R.D. Boyer, commanding officer of Naval Station Newport, took the leaders out to tour the installation. Stops included an office call with Rear Adm. P. Gardner Howe, III, president, Naval War College, to discuss the status of preparations for the Chief of Naval Operations 22nd Annual International Sea Power Symposium scheduled for Sept. 20-23; tours of all of the Entry Control Points; various facility project overviews, lunch with Sailors and civilian awardees and briefings.

Mrs. Smith had a full day of visits to Morale, Welfare and Recreation facilities; Navy Gateway Inns and Suites; lunch with the spouse mentor group at the Naval Leadership and Ethics Center; an all hands "Can I Kiss You Training" at the Naval War College and stops at NEX and Fleet & Family Support Center facilities.

Vice Adm. Smith is no stranger to the Navy's Center of Excellence for Officer and Senior Enlisted Education and Training. He actually began his Navy career here as a student at the Naval Academy Prep School in 1978 and returned multiple times for tours at the former Naval Education and Training Center and the Surface Warfare Officer's School.

Rear Adm. Scorby assumed command of Navy Region Mid-Atlantic on March 10 and today was his first visit to the base as region commander. Rear Adm. Scorby graduated with distinction from the College of Command and Staff at Naval War College.

Smith used a series of slides highlighting his guiding principles to stimulate discussion during the round table.

"I've been in the shore business for a long time now and I can say with conviction that what we do now we do better than we used to do," he said. He spoke on the need for standardization to some extent throughout all of the installations.

"From a customer service perspective, they (the service members/families/DoD employees) should know what they are going to get when they transfer or visit a Navy installation," Smith said.

"He was very open minded and concerned about the Quality of Life here regarding our Sailors," said Master-at-Arms 1st Class Travis Clouse, NAVSTA Newport's Sailor of the Quarter, who was one of six Sailors and DoD civilians selected to attend a lunch at Ney Hall Galley with Smith and Rear Adm. Scorby.

"He asked a lot of quality of life questions and showed he cared about the Sailors," said Aviation Boatswain's Mate 1st Class Victor Salinas, NAVSTA Newport's Sailor of the Year for 2015.

Aviation Machinist's Mate Airman Apprentice Jacob Garanito, NAVSTA Newport's Junior Sailor of the Quarter, said Smith was concerned about Sailors and their families.

"He asked about the challenges that we face as Sailors and as human beings here in Newport," said Garanito.

While touching on his principle of living a culture of continuous improvement, Smith remarked on how he has picked up more trash in the last 11 years (since he became an installation commanding officer) than he had in the previous 20.

"If every one of us picks up one piece of trash a day, the bases will all be clean and it is that message of pride in our surroundings I want us to convey to our customers and to each other," he said.

CNIC recognizes the need to divert limited resources to the War Fighters and calls upon all 52,000 CNIC personnel - military and civilian - to continue to look for ways to do things efficiently and effectively.

"Thank you for all that you do - you're making a difference. It's about customer service. Ask yourself daily, "Am I doing the best professionally and personally," he said.

Naval Station Newport is home to 50 separate tenant commands and departments including the prestigious Naval War College; Naval Justice School; Navy Supply Corps School; Officer Training Command Newport and the Naval Undersea Warfare Center and Division Newport.

For more information on Commander, Navy Installation Commands Guiding Principles, go to: http://www.cnic.navy.mil/regions/ndw/commandants_corner/commandant-s-corner--cnic-guiding-principles.html.

For information on Naval Station Newport, go to: www.cnic.navy.mil/Newport.