Naval Station Newport was on high alert on Feb. 10, but it wasn’t because of a security threat. It was because the base was girding for an influx of employees returning to their offices after years of working remotely.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January requiring federal agencies to terminate remote work arrangements, resulting in millions of public-sector employees nationwide to show up at their workplaces instead of doing their jobs through telecommunications.
But nowhere does that order have more of an effect in Rhode Island than on Aquidneck Island, where thousands of civilian federal workers are employed at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center at the naval station.
It remains to be seen if the flow of thousands of workers into Naval Station Newport, which is located in both Newport and Middletown, will have a positive effect, or a negative one, on both residents and businesses.
With more than 3,500 federal civilian employees with jobs connected to the Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport, as of 2023, naval officials issued advanced warnings to nearby communities to expect traffic jams as newly commuting motorists lined up at the facility’s gates for access.
The base also beefed up security.
Middletown Police Chief Jason Ryan said the department planned for the anticipated traffic increase, aware of the snarls from previous years during gate closures that caused significant backups on Access Highway and West Main Road.
Still, on the morning of Feb. 10, traffic jams were reported on thoroughfares around the naval station, lengthening minuteslong trips to more than a half hour.
Bruce Katz, public affairs officer at Naval Station Newport, which has more than 10,000 employees, declined to speculate on the percentage of employees the station is welcoming back, citing the 50 different commands that operate there.
In a report compiled by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, the federal government determined that 46% of all federal employees participated in “routine or situational” telework in fiscal 2022.
More recently, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform’s report titled “The Lights Are On But Everybody is at Home” concluded that more than half of federal employees were either teleworking regularly or fully remote as of May 2024, leaving federal office buildings largely empty.
Of the 2.28 million federal civilian employees, approximately 228,000 are not required to come into the office at all, the report said.
For some businesses on Aquidneck Island, the sudden influx of workers may be good news.
Rocky Kempenaar, a partner in the 150-room extended-stay hotel being built on the corner of Coddington Highway and West Main Road, said his project will benefit, particularly when another 300 families arrive next year due to the National Oceanographic and Atmosphere Administration’s $146.8 million Marine Operations Center opening its doors.
These service members won’t be working remotely, he said.
“They need to be within 15 minutes of the base,” he said. “So we are going to need [additional accommodations].”
Greater Newport Chamber of Commerce did not respond to messages seeking comment.
Katz said Aquidneck Island being home to a military installation requires some tolerance from locals. But he is bracing for some initial public criticism over increased traffic.
“We expect some commentary from people saying they can’t get to their place of business,” he said. “But if the employees returning to the station don’t pack a lunch, they may go out to eat. These are those residuals [impacts] showing how the economy and local businesses could be positively impacted.”
