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MCLB future stable

• A busy but increasingly civilian future lies ahead at Albany's Marine base, the commander of eastern U.S. Marine installations says.

Susan McCord

ALBANY — Activities at Marine Corps Logistics Base-Albany are “so critical” that the base’s existence won’t be threatened — even 10 or more years from now, the commander of eastern U.S. Marine Corps installations said Wednesday during a stop in Albany.

“We’re not at war; we’re at battle,” Maj. Gen. Robert C. Dickerson said, of ongoing U.S. efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. “We’re fighting the global war on terrorism and this is not going to be over anytime soon.”

The engaging, animated and highly approachable Dickerson has been a “tremendous asset” as an advocate for MCLB-Albany since he became commander of Marine Corps Installations East in 2005, MCLB-Albany Commander Col. Christian Haliday said.

Military and civilian personnel filled the base theater Wednesday for a town hall-style meeting with Dickerson, who will retire in a few months after 36 years in the Corps.

“Ass-et — I didn’t know that word was hyphenated,” said the jovial Marine, who peppered his talk with jokes.

Dickerson presented a safety award and several length-of-service award to civilian base personnel at the start of the meeting.

The number of Marines stationed in Albany is unlikely to grow, as work at all U.S. installations is increasingly turned over to civilian personnel, he said.

But the ongoing battles with terrorism in Afghanistan and Iraq will “require a long, protracted supporting establishment,” Dickerson said, “and that’s what Albany does.”

“We’re engaged in this thing probably for the rest of my lifetime,” he said.

The replacement of Marines with civilians at military bases is a “huge cultural change” for Marines, who often expect to be greeted by a young Marine at the entrance to the base.

And while change will be constant, it shouldn’t make base personnel feel uncertain about their jobs, he said.

“More changes? Absolutely,” Dickerson said. “But I don’t see anything in the future — five, 10 or many years in the future — that’s threatening the existence of Albany, Georgia. It is so critical to what we do, that it’s going to stay in place.”

The Marine Corps has a goal of increasing troop numbers from 176,000 to 202,000, and $4.9 billion has been spent on infrastructure at bases in the eastern U.S., he said.

“With all the growth that’s transpiring throughout the Marine Corps, Albany, Georgia is still going to be a crown jewel in the Marine Corps crown,” he said.

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