Vice Adm. Scott Gray will assume the newly established deputy chief of naval operations for sustainment on Oct. 5, inheriting responsibility for Navy shore installations, logistics and maintenance. The position was created to accelerate funding decisions and improve integration across the service’s staff. Gray, who relinquished command of Navy Installation Command during a change of ceremony at the Naval History Museum on Sept. 24, cited declining shore infrastructure as a growing risk to fleet readiness. He noted that deferred maintenance on piers, dry docks and barracks has compounded over decades, with some repairs now costing exponentially more than originally projected. Structural demands from newer equipment, such as heavier P-8 Poseidon aircraft, have further strained aging facilities. Gray described the situation as akin to a homeowner repeatedly postponing repairs until a small fix becomes a major expense. The Navy currently maintains Wi-Fi in 90 percent of barracks and has funded unaccompanied housing upgrades, including at Naval Base Kitsap-Bremerton. Ongoing quality of life initiatives follow the 2022 suicide deaths of sailors assigned to USS George Washington and at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Maintenance Center. Gray plans to brief Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle on infrastructure challenges to support a multi-year funding strategy aimed at stabilizing the shore enterprise.