NWS Crane to receive one-star commanding officer

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Sen. Jim Banks on Monday called the decision to put a one-star officer in command of Naval Warfare Center Crane a significant expansion.

Banks’ office said Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has decided to put a one-star reserve officer in command of the facility in southwestern Indiana no later than Oct. 1. This would mean Crane would be under the command of either a Navy rear admiral lower half or an Army, Air Force or Marine Corps brigadier general. Crane’s current commanding officer, Luis Martinez, holds the naval rank of commander, which is two steps below a one-star and is the equivalent of a lieutenant colonel in the other branches.

The position will be responsible for integrating the Navy’s Nuclear Sea Launch Cruise Missile and Conventional Prompt Strike weapons systems onto surface ships and submarines. It will initially report to the director of Portfolio Acquisition Executive Strategic Systems Programs in Washington, DC. In a letter to Hegseth last July, Banks said those two programs currently are housed at the Washington Navy Yard and need more space than that facility can provide.

Crane already employs more than 6,000 people and is the third-largest U.S. Navy installation in the world.

“This is the most significant expansion of NWS Crane since its creation. It will bring game changing new authorities and manpower to our state and further cements Ind...