CONTACT:  Tim Tomastik                 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
                                       6/18/98

NOAA Administrator D. James Baker announced today a plan for restructuring the NOAA Corps. The NOAA Corps is a uniformed service and, as part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, is responsible for operating NOAA's fleet of ships and aircraft.

The intent of this plan is to ensure that NOAA's fleet operations are cost efficient, effective and responsive to the changing nature of federal, academic and industry partnerships. NOAA's streamlining efforts over the past two years have already resulted in significant cost savings by reducing the number of officers nearly 30% since 1994.

The plan will allow NOAA to retain those aspects of the NOAA Corps that meet mission needs while continuing to encourage partnerships with the academic and industry communities.

The key elements of this plan are:

Support a refocused NOAA Corps of 240 officers who will operate NOAA's current ships and aircraft, while still working with outside partners to contract for services.

Begin recruiting into the NOAA Corps a limited number of new recruits at the beginning of the next fiscal year.

Put a Senior Executive Service member at the head of the Corps whose job will be to manage the Corps and partner with industry and academia to provide necessary services effectively and efficiently.

This plan will allow NOAA to benefit from the services provided by the dedicated men and women in the NOAA Corps and build important new relationships with non-federal partners.