COVID-19 presented an opportunity to make the Naval workforce more efficient, Vice Adm. Yancy Lindsey, commander of Navy Installation Management Command, told ADC Live Thursday.

“The majority of our staff’s been teleworking for the last year essentially,” he said. “And we found many areas we were actually more productive and can better execute our mission from a telework, remote work perspective than we are when we require employees to come in and sit in a building and an office and do that work.”

He said the Navy’s post-pandemic work plan may mean that 60% to 65% of employees “never need to step foot in a Navy building again,” which helps employees, cuts down on overhead costs and opens the talent pool, he added.

Lindsey also stressed that resiliency against weather events continues to be a Navy priority.

“Navy Installation Command is working with our subordinate commands to make sure that they can resist, take a licking and keep on ticking, so to speak.”