NAVFAC Washington Breaks Ground on New Wargaming Center at Marine Corps Base Quantico

WASHINGTON - Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Washington breaks ground on the new Wargaming Center at Marine Corps Base (MCB) Quantico. A ceremony commemorating the beginning of construction was held at MCB Quantico May 12.

“[Marines] are going to be better prepared to fight and thrive in combat because of the work that is done in this Center.” said Lt. Gen. Eric M. Smith, deputy commandant, Combat Development and Integration, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps. “We are going to be quicker getting resources to them in the Fleet and in the field because of this Center.”

In March 2019, the Wargaming Center was identified to NAVFAC Washington leadership as a military construction (MILCON) insert in the fiscal year 2020 program. The NAVFAC Washington Contracting team went to work to ensure timely and efficient awarding of this critical construction project. In short order, Wiley Wilson Burns & McDonnell Joint Venture of Alexandria, Va., was awarded the design task order for this design bid build (DBB) effort. Working closely with the NAVFAC Washington Design & Construction team and meeting an aggressive schedule, the design of this highly complex facility was completed in September 2020.

The project, budgeted at $78.9 million, consists of a low-rise, Georgian-style academic instruction facility spanning 100,443 square feet. Exterior features include cast stone, brick veneer and asphalt shingle roofs. The facility will include an auditorium, gaming classrooms, game cells, breakout rooms and conference rooms. The project also includes a 132,116 square-foot parking facility. The parking facility will be a multi-story, pre-cast concrete structure with auger cast pile foundations. Lastly, a new single-story Area Distribution Node (ADN) will be constructed and integrated into the installation communication distribution system to support the academic instruction facility. The ADN facility is a precast concrete structure with auger cast pile foundation.

“There’s a bunch of 19 and 20-year-old officer candidates literally training right now about a mile and a half away who have no idea what is going on here today. But they will benefit from what happens here.” Lt. Gen. Smith said. “This building will be here long after one of those [candidates] is the commandant and retired. Long after. This building will still be here doing its job.”

Representing NAVFAC at the groundbreaking ceremony was Rear Adm. John Korka, commander, NAVFAC, Capt. Greg Vinci, NAVFAC Washington commanding officer, and Cmdr. Benjamin Hofman, public works officer for Marine Corps Base Quantico.

NAVFAC Washington awarded the contract to Clark Construction Group, LLC of Bethesda, Md. for construction of the Wargaming Center at Marine Corps Base Quantico on March 22, 2021. Work will be performed in Quantico, Va., and is expected to be completed by June 2023.