Capt. Eric Hanks, commanding officer of Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, addressed jet noise, staffing problems and base vaccination rates in a speech to the Whidbey Island Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America Thursday.

The officers association is a group of local retired and active duty military officers that meets monthly to stay apprised on base affairs. Hanks spoke at the group’s Feb. 10 meeting and answered their questions about the current state of the base.

Several association members wanted to know about staffing. Like many businesses and organizations throughout the community, NAS Whidbey Island is facing staffing challenges, especially when it comes to civilian workers, Hanks said.

“The one that hurts my head a lot and I continue to work is child and youth programs, and childcare providers,” he said. “We just can’t hire enough people to provide care for our children.”

Staffing base gates is also a struggle, to the point that not all gates are open during peak hours. Morning lines at Langley Gate, one officers association member pointed out, are particularly horrendous.

Hanks said that NAS Whidbey Island just doesn’t have the personnel to man all the gates currently and to bring in auxiliary security officers would disrupt people’s schedules and pull sailors away from other units.

The base employs around 10,800 people, Hanks said, approximately 9,000 of whom are military personnel.

Though staffing has been a challenge recently, the captain reported that getting the base vaccinated has not. Hanks said around 97% of NAS Whidbey Island personnel are fully vaccinated, with only a negligible handful seeking exemptions.

The captain also discussed topics that impact civilians outside the base, including jet noise. His comments on the subject revolved around transparency and communication. He said that the Navy’s environmental impact study on the effects of jet noise is available to the public, as are the flight schedules for Outlying Field Coupeville for those who want to be forewarned of any potentially noisy activity there. Hanks said that everyone who makes a call to register a jet noise complaint gets called back, with the exception of regular callers.

Communication with community members is essential to the operations at NAS Whidbey Island, Hanks told the association members.

“We view ourselves as Team Whidbey,” he said, adding that base personnel perform essential security functions. “The Pacific Northwest is the most unencumbered airspace in the United States, and that’s why it’s important that Naval Air Station Whidbey Island continues to be resourced and we’re able to continue to operate. The type of training we can do here is unmatched anywhere in the United States.”