NOAA Selects Newport For Site Of New Regional Headquarters

NEWPORT, RI— The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will station its new regional headquarters in Newport, U.S. Sen. Jack Reek (D-RI), said Wednesday.

Reed said the new facility, the Marine Operations Center for the Atlantic (MOC-A), will relocate from Norfolk, Virginia, to Naval Station Newport.

The $150 million project will give the headquarters a new administration building, warehouse, pier, bulkhead and other waterfront facilities. According to Reed, the project will create about 200 jobs and bring fleets of research ships to Rhode Island.

"This is a major win for Rhode Island and our blue economy that will help NOAA improve mission fulfillment while achieving savings through consolidation and enhancing collaboration with the Navy, URI, the Coast Guard, and leading ocean scientists and marine businesses," Reed said. "This move will create economic, research, and education opportunities for the federal government and Rhode Island."

Reed’s office said the MOC-A coordinates the agency’s ship operation in the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean. It's also the home port to NOAA’s research vessels.

In addition to the benefits of being on a secure naval facility that offers opportunities for public access, the Newport location offers a number of geographic benefits, federal officials said. It also offers opportunities to collaborate with the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) and the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography.

Nearby Middletown is also the home of the U.S. Maritime Resource Center, which trains all the uniformed deck officers for NOAA.

"NOAA is the top scientific weather and oceans agency," Reed said. "Bringing NOAA’s premiere research fleet and Atlantic operations center to the Ocean State means hundreds of jobs for Rhode Island and a brighter future for our blue economy. Naval Station Newport is a strategic location, and the federal investments we’ve made here are really paying off."