NAVFAC Officer in Charge of Construction China Lake Hosts Groundbreaking of Ordnance Test Support and Technical Services Laboratory as part of Earthquake Recovery Program

CHINA LAKE – Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Officer in Charge of Construction (OICC) China Lake hosted its seventh groundbreaking on Oct. 26, on the $44 million Ordnance Test Support and Technical Services Laboratory, within the China Lake Propulsion Laboratory Complex aboard Naval Air Weapons Station (NAWS) China Lake, as part of the $2.7 billion Earthquake Recovery Program.

The new facility will replace existing structures that were damaged beyond repair during the July 2019 earthquakes. The new combined Ordnance Test Support and Technical Services Laboratory will share just over 64,000 square feet of laboratories, workshops, meeting spaces, storage, administrative areas and a warehouse. The future tenants of this facility will provide Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCWD) unique ordnance and standardized test support for the Navy and logistical support for operations throughout the China Lake Propulsion Laboratory/Salt Wells Complex.
OICC China Lake Construction Manager Lt. Rixon Fletcher served as the master of ceremonies and provided welcoming remarks before introducing the ceremony’s speakers. Soltek Pacific Construction Senior Vice President Ron Hicks, NAWCWD - Director of Research and Development Group Harlan Kooima and OICC China Lake’s Executive Officer Cmdr. Tim Kaber.
“We are hosting our seventh groundbreaking ceremony as part of the earthquake recovery effort aboard NAWS China Lake,” said Cmdr. Tim Kaber. “We are fortunate to be working with a partner in Soltek Pacific Construction to bring this multi-services building for testing and logistics to the China Lake Propulsion Laboratory/Salt Wells Complex.”

“75 years ago, the men and women working at the China Lake Propulsion Laboratory made a difference for the Navy and the Nation. The mission has stayed the same; the Nation still expects this laboratory to develop some of the most advanced weapons capabilities the world has ever seen,” said Harlan Kooima. “This new facility will enable the co-location of four teams that will make NAWCWD better and stronger as we go forward.”

“For over 30 years, Soltek Pacific has been a proud partner with NAVFAC Southwest, and we look forward to working with the project team to restore full mission capability of the Ordnance Testing Support and Technical Services Laboratory,” said Ron Hicks.

NAWS China Lake is located in the Western Mojave Desert region of California, approximately 150 miles north of Los Angeles. China Lake’s mission is to support the Navy's RDT&E missions to provide cutting-edge weapons systems to the warfighter. The installation is the Navy's largest single landholding. In total, its two ranges and main site cover more than 1.1 million acres, an area larger than the state of Rhode Island.

OICC China Lake was established in August 2020 to provide engineering, acquisition, and execution oversight for military construction and repair projects caused by the devastating damage from the 6.4 and 7.1 magnitude earthquakes that occurred on July 4 and 5, 2019.