ECS Barracks Opens at NCBC Gulfport

A ribbon cutting ceremony was held July 26 to celebrate the opening of an Expeditionary Combat Skills (ECS) student berthing at Naval Construction Battalion Center (NCBC) Gulfport, Mississippi.

The three-story 88-room unaccompanied housing building provides a significant upgrade and better living conditions for transient deploying forces attending the four week ECS training course.

“NCBC Gulfport is finally getting a modern and efficient building to provide a better quality of life for our Sailors while they focus on completing essential training,” said NCBC Gulfport’s Public Works Officer Lt. Cmdr. Majellen Changcoco.

Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Southeast awarded the design-build project to EMR, Inc. back in May 2019. The facility was successfully completed just three years later despite having the challenges of navigating through a pandemic and three hurricanes.

“It is a significant accomplishment to complete a Military Construction (MILCON) project safely, on schedule, on budget, and within building codes and other regulatory codes,” said Changcoco.

Each room in the facility is designed to be shared by two service members and includes one bedroom with two beds, two walk-in closets, a small service area including a microwave and refrigerator, and a bathroom with a private shower.

Additionally, occupants will have access to laundry facilities, vending, multipurpose recreation rooms, and housekeeping on each floor.

The mission of ECS is to provide Seabees with basic expeditionary combat skills training necessary to professionally and safely perform high-risk security operations when assigned to Naval Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC) or Naval Special Warfare (NSW) organizations.