Sailors report to new NOSC facility

$24.8 million building at NAS Fallon houses more than 200 personnel

Lt. Cmdr. Courtney Turner and her staff are now operating out of a new Navy Operational Support Center (NOSC) at Naval Air Station Fallon.
Photo by Steve Ranson.

By Steve Ranson

Wednesday, July 7, 2021

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The Navy Reserve has taken a modernistic approach to the 21st century with the construction of Navy Operational Support Centers (NOSC) including one at Naval Air Station Fallon.

June marked the first official drill at the new $14.8 million, 21,000-foot building located east of the main gate. The building opened in March, and a formal opening is slated for Nov. 6.

“Our first drill weekend face-to-face was actually here in Fallon,” said Lt. Cmdr. Courtney Turner, NOSC commander.

MC1 Larry Carlson/NAS Fallon
Instruction began at the June drill weekend at the Navy Operational Support Center (NOSC) at Naval Air Station Fallon.
Navy reserve 3

Prior to the drills being conducted in a new facility at Fallon, an old Cold-War reminder of the reservists drilling at the former Stead Air Force Base and then on transferred city of Reno land west of the runway greeted the sailors for their drills. At one time the Marines drilled at the two-story U.S. Naval Reserve Center’s Stead facility before they were required to travel to Sacramento.

“You could social distance pretty easily,” said Zip Upham, public affairs officer for NAS Fallon, of the older facility.

According to the military, the former Navy reserve building was also used years ago for instructing Nevada Army National Guard soldiers.

Turner, who has spent 13 years on both active and reserve duty, earned a master’s in business administration from Penn State University. She assumed command of the NOSC in September. Turner said she also spent five years in Washington, D.C., in budget management.

As part of her career goals to take command, she listed different commands.

Steve Ranson/LVN
Before relocating to Fallon earlier this year, the Navy Operational Support Center was located at the U.S. Naval Reserve Center in Reno.

“I wanted a little more of a challenge,” she said, explaining her move to Fallon, which will end in 2022.

According to the Navy, a NOCS is responsible for the readiness of selected reserve sailors from different units.

“The NOSC is also responsible for the mobilization and demobilization process for both individual augmentees and unit deployments and supports the families of those reserve sailors deployed in support of military operations worldwide.”

The NOSC has medical personnel assigned at different locations, and Turner said there’s a wide range of military readiness training being undertaken at NAS Fallon.

“We are working on incorporating some of the training with the command on base,” she said.

Turner said many of the reservists are also working physicians and remain in the Reno area. She said only a few dental positions exist. Turner said Navy Security Forces reservists mostly drill in Fallon, and 75 personnel from the Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Command are attached to Fallon. They had previously depended on North Island Navy Base for support, but for drill purposes, they report to the NAS Fallon NOSC.

Upham said the advantage of NOSC being relocated to Fallon has a larger facility as long as it’s not involved with other units.
“In floor space, we have more to deal with,” he said.

The full-time Navy personnel assigned to NOSC must now commute to Fallon. Turner said her staff teleworks at least two days a week, and in person for three days

“Most live in Reno,” said Turner, who oversees a staff of 10 full-time sailors and 225 reservists. “Most who get new orders to Fallon must now live here.”

Upham said the NOSC-assigned sailors will now have to fight the local housing market.

Sailors report to new NOSC facility

$24.8 million building at NAS Fallon houses more than 200 personnel

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