Q: How is Snohomish County responding to the Naval Station Everett frigate cancellation?
A: Snohomish County rebooted its Military Affairs Committee in early 2026 through the Economic Alliance of Snohomish County. The committee — which includes County Council member Nate Nehring and is supported by U.S. Representative Rick Larsen — is working proactively to advocate for new ship assignments and missions to replace the 12 Constellation-class frigates that were cancelled in November 2025.

Snohomish County’s $340M Fight: How Local Leaders Are Responding to the NAVSTA Frigate Loss

When Secretary of the Navy John Phelan announced the cancellation of the Constellation-class frigate program on November 25, 2025, the policy language was bureaucratic. The local impact was not. Snohomish County lost a promised economic commitment worth, by some estimates, hundreds of millions of dollars in long-term growth — and local leaders wasted little time organizing a response.

Here’s how the county’s civic and political infrastructure is responding, what tools they have, and what it would actually take to replace what was lost.

The Economic Alliance Takes the Lead

The Economic Alliance of Snohomish County moved quickly to reboot the Snohomish County Military Affairs Committee, a public-private advocacy body that had previously gone somewhat dormant as the frigate program appeared to be on track. With the frigates gone, the committee’s mission became urgent.

Ray Stephanson, the Economic Alliance’s president and CEO, framed the stakes plainly: “The assignment of the frigates would have cemented the base’s role as a key asset for the U.S. Navy. Their demise is very disappointing.” Stephanson’s organization has taken the lead on coordinating the county’s advocacy strategy, engaging with Navy Region Northwest leadership, the Washington State Congressional delegation, and economic development officials at both the county and state levels.

Snohomish County Council member Nate Nehring (R-Arlington) has accepted an invitation to join the rebooted committee, adding an elected county voice to the advocacy effort and signaling that the response to the cancellation has bipartisan support at the local level.

Congressional Advocacy: What Larsen Can Do

U.S. Representative Rick Larsen, whose 2nd Congressional District includes NAVSTA Everett, has been a consistent advocate for the base throughout the frigate program’s troubled history. His office has communicated directly with Navy leadership about maintaining and growing Everett’s force assignments post-cancellation.

Larsen’s position on the House Armed Services Committee gives him meaningful access to the Pentagon’s force structure planning process — not the ability to dictate ship assignments, but the ability to ask pointed questions, advocate for specific decisions, and ensure that NAVSTA Everett’s capabilities and strategic value are being considered when the Navy decides where to send future assets.

The committee’s work — combined with Senator Patty Murray’s and Senator Maria Cantwell’s advocacy in the Senate — gives Washington State a reasonably strong congressional presence in the ongoing conversation about what comes next for the Pacific Fleet’s surface combatant homeporting strategy.

The $340 Million Stakes

The Navy’s own regional estimates put the total annual economic impact of military operations in Snohomish County at approximately $340 million. That number — which reflects the current base population of approximately 6,000 military personnel and 500 civilian employees — is the baseline that local leaders are working to protect and expand.

The 12 frigates would have added to that baseline significantly. Each frigate crew typically numbers 130-150 sailors; multiply that by 12 ships, add family members, support contractors, and the housing and retail spending that military families generate, and the economic addition would have been substantial. The Military Affairs Committee’s immediate goal is to prevent erosion of the current $340 million baseline while pursuing opportunities to grow it through new assignments.

What Replacing the Frigates Would Actually Require

The Navy’s Pacific Fleet posture is undergoing significant reconfiguration in response to China’s maritime expansion and the strategic priorities outlined in successive National Defense Authorization Acts. That reconfiguration creates both risks and opportunities for NAVSTA Everett.

The risks: the same force structure analysis that killed the Constellation program could lead the Navy to consolidate homeporting at fewer, larger bases with deeper industrial support infrastructure. NAVSTA Everett’s relative distance from the major Puget Sound shipyards in Bremerton is a factor in those calculations.

The opportunities: the Navy is actively evaluating alternatives to the frigate program, including potential upgrades to existing destroyer assignments and next-generation surface combatant concepts. NAVSTA Everett’s deep-water piers, its proximity to Paine Field’s aerospace ecosystem, and its political support make it a credible candidate for expanded assignments if the county’s advocacy is sustained and well-coordinated.

The Military Affairs Committee’s strategy — engaging proactively rather than reactively, building relationships before decisions are made rather than lobbying after — is the right approach. The outcome will depend on factors largely outside Snohomish County’s control, but the advocacy infrastructure is now in place.

Frequently Asked Questions: Civic Dimensions of the NAVSTA Situation

Q: What authority does the Snohomish County Military Affairs Committee actually have?
A: The committee is an advisory and advocacy body, not a decision-making authority. Its influence comes from organizing community and economic arguments, engaging with the congressional delegation, and maintaining relationships with Navy Region Northwest leadership. It has no formal authority over ship assignments.

Q: What does the City of Everett’s budget look like if NAVSTA Everett shrinks?
A: The base itself is federal property and does not generate property tax revenue directly. The city’s economic interest in the base comes from the spending of military personnel and their families in Everett’s retail, housing, and service economy. Any reduction in base population would reduce that spending, but the connection is indirect.

Q: Is there a BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure) process that could threaten NAVSTA Everett?
A: BRAC rounds require Congressional authorization; Congress has not authorized a new BRAC round as of spring 2026. No current legislation or Pentagon communication suggests NAVSTA Everett is a BRAC candidate. Local advocates monitor this issue continuously.

Q: How does Snohomish County’s advocacy compare to what other military communities do?
A: The rebooted Military Affairs Committee model is consistent with best practices for military community advocacy — most communities with major installations maintain active civilian committees that coordinate between local government, economic development organizations, and the congressional delegation. NAVSTA Everett’s advocacy infrastructure had gone dormant and is now being rebuilt.

Q: What new ships or missions could realistically come to NAVSTA Everett?
A: The Navy is evaluating its Pacific Fleet homeporting needs as it retires older cruisers and potentially accelerates DDG-51 destroyer production. NAVSTA Everett has the pier capacity to accommodate additional destroyers, and its location is well-suited to Pacific-oriented deployments. Specific ship assignments remain a Navy decision, subject to active advocacy.