The Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) announced today the standup of a new Real Estate directorate, demonstrating the growing importance of innovative facility solutions.

The new directorate is responsible for acquiring, managing, and disposing of real property interests for the Department of the Navy, and will increase focus on enhancing delivery of real estate actions and third-party financed projects. It will explore and implement emerging methodologies for use at Navy and Marine Corps installations using diverse business arrangements such as Enhanced Use Lease, Intergovernmental Support Agreements, and Other Transactional Authority Pilot Projects.

“By making this move, we are enabling NAVFAC’s real estate subject matter experts to develop and deliver projects with greater speed, agility, and relevance,” said Rear Adm. John Korka, Commander of NAVFAC. “Real estate authorities that the Secretary of the Navy has delegated must be optimally aligned to facilitate increased performance, and real estate will become a stronger mission enabler and force multiplier for our Fleet and Marine Corps.”

By leveraging innovative financing models with the private sector, the Navy can more rapidly address critical, unfunded installation requirements, while preserving congressional appropriations for direct warfighting support.

“Fiscal realities today demand that real estate continue to deliver military infrastructure and public works support while also positioning the Navy and Marine Corps to develop and execute innovatively financed projects to obtain improved facilities and services for our stakeholders,” said Joe Calcara, director, NAVFAC Real Estate.

Calcara returned to NAVFAC last month, bringing with him more than 35 years’ experience in managing public infrastructure, facilities engineering, integrated water resources, and asset management programs at NAVFAC, US Army Corps of Engineers, the Department of the Army, and other private sector entities.

“Realigning the NAVFAC real estate organization into a new directorate is paramount to both recapitalizing Navy and Marine Corps infrastructure and reducing facility sustainment, restoration, and modernization burden,” said Calcara.  

“In the next several months, we will be conducting feasibility analyses of potential opportunities across the Navy and Marine Corps domains for projects that enhance energy and water resilience, leverage capital investment, and optimize efficiencies in facilities sustainment, restoration and modernization, with the goal to execute in streamlined processes within the next 12-18 months.” Calcara said. 

Full operating capability of the new directorate, including changes to support the new organizational construct, is planned for June 30, 2021.

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