- Vice Adm. Brad Collins has taken over Navy shore installation management
- Vice Adm. Scott Gray moves to a newly created Navy sustainment role
- Collins previously led three Navy regions
Vice Adm. Brad Collins took on the role of commander of Navy Installations Command, or CNIC, during a ceremony Thursday at the Washington Navy Yard.
Collins succeeds Vice Adm. Scott Gray in the position. Adm. James Kilby, vice chief of naval operations, presided over the event.
What Will Collins Oversee as Head of CNIC?
As CNIC commander, Collins will lead the management of Navy shore installations worldwide. The command covers 10 Navy regions and 71 installations and employs a workforce of approximately 63,000.
CNIC is also charged with developing integrated approaches to sustaining and building out shore infrastructure. Its mission further extends to quality-of-life programs for sailors and their families.
What Is Scott Gray’s New Role?
Gray is heading to the Pentagon as deputy chief of naval operations for Navy sustainment, a newly formed office focused on aligning and coordinating capabilities.
During his three-year tour at CNIC, Gray restructured the shore enterprise, established the command’s role as the Shore Type Commander and oversaw the integration of more than 10,700 billets.
Gray said he plans to apply the lessons he gained leading the shore enterprise to his new position.
“In this new capacity, our work together will continue—unifying our logistics, infrastructure, and base operating capabilities so that we can better support the fleet, empower the industrial base, and build on the momentum we have created across the Shore Enterprise,” he remarked.
Who Is Brad Collins?
Collins is a Navy officer who began his career in helicopter aviation after receiving his commission in 1992. He commanded Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light 42 and later held his major command at Naval Support Activity Souda Bay in Greece.
His shore assignments include stints at Navy Personnel Command, U.S. Strategic Command and the Missile Defense Agency, where he served as director of test and division chief for war games and exercises. Collins also served as CNIC chief of staff and commanded Navy Region Northwest; Navy Region Europe, Africa, Central; and Navy Region Hawaii. Earlier this month, he relinquished command of Navy Region Hawaii to Rear Adm. Rich Jarrett during a Sept. 2 ceremony at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.
Collins holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the U.S. Naval Academy and a master’s degree in national security and strategic studies from the U.S. Naval War College.
Collins said CNIC will keep improving how its regions and installations support the fleet, sailors and their families.
“That means staying close to the mission, understanding where friction exists, and working across the enterprise to solve problems in ways that make a real difference at the deckplate level,” he noted.
What Recent Developments Has CNIC Undergone?
Collins assumes command days after the Navy completed the transfer of public works maintenance teams from Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command to CNIC, a realignment that placed approximately 10,000 civilian and military personnel under the direct authority of base commanding officers.
CNIC is also reshaping its quality-of-life programs. The command issued a request for information on transforming its Morale, Welfare and Recreation fitness program into an integrated Human Performance Optimization model, which it plans to test through a proof-of-concept at Naval Base San Diego in California in fiscal 2027.
