U.S. Navy raises barriers to protect base at Norfolk.

• Author: Kennedy, Harold

A gray rigid hull inflatable boat--commonly called a RHIB--roared past the warships lined up along the piers at the U.S. Naval Station at Norfolk, Va. The scene caught the eye of the base security director, Lt. Cmdr. Tito M. Arandela Jr., who was cruising the harbor in one of his five patrol craft.

"Those guys seem to be having way too much fun," he muttered. The trio was probably from one of the ships in the USS Theodore Roosevelt battle group, just back from combat operations in the Arabian Sea, he said. He radioed another patrol boat to pull them over, find out who they are and tell them to slow down.

On this warm, sunny morning, several RHIBs were in the water, performing routine security patrols around their ships and running other chores. It was all perfectly normal, but speeding boats make Arandela nervous, he said.

A speeding boat in a crowded harbor is always dangerous, he noted. Navy officers have been particularly wary of such boats since one attacked the USS Cole in Yemen a year and a half ago, killing 17 U.S. sailors. The Cole returned to Norfolk in April after receiving $250 million in repairs.

What the sailors in the speeding RHIB didn't realize, Arandela said, was that, at the moment, "we have no idea who they are. We don't know whether that boat is one of ours or not."

Security--known in Pentagon jargon as "force protection"--has been emphasized repeatedly throughout the military services in recent years, particularly after the Cole incident and again after last September's assaults against the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

In 2003, the Navy plans to spend more than $600 million for security improvements, including additional personnel, detection devices, fencing, waterside barriers, guard shelters, patrol craft and training, according to Rear Adm. Christopher Cole, director of the Navy's Ashore Readiness Division.

The Navy's master-at-arms force--traditionally assigned to maintain law and order aboard ships and shore stations--is being expanded from 1,800 to 9,000, and its focus is switching to force protection. "We're creating a professional security force," said Rear Adm. Thomas Steffens, the force protection officer for the U.S. Atlantic Fleet, headquartered in Norfolk.

Until recently, providing security was often a part-time or temporary assignment for sailors, particularly on Navy ships, Steffens told National Defense. In contrast, the masters-at-arms, or MAs, serve as full-time security personnel, he said. Their work uniforms typically are Marine-style camouflage battle dress, rather than Navy dungarees.

Previously, a sailor had to be a petty officer third class or above to become an MA, but to meet the increased need, the Navy has opened the field to entry-level personnel. MA schools have been set up at large naval bases, such as Norfolk, to provide training in investigation, protective service, small-arms instruction, K-9 (dog) handling and other security techniques. The Navy also is encouraging sailors in other assignments to become MAs and for civilians with law-enforcement experience to join up.

In November, the service opened an Anti-Terrorism and Force Protection Warfare Center at its Naval Amphibious Base at Little Creek, just outside of Norfolk. Its job is to develop tactics...