Navy Dedicates the John "Bag" Hefti Global LVC Operations Center
The U.S. Navy dedicated a 40,000-square-foot training facility at NAS Oceana Dam Neck Annex in honor of Captain John "Bag" Hefti, with over 250 family members, military leaders, and community members in attendance.
Navy Dedicates the John "Bag" Hefti Global LVC Operations Center
On May 14, 2024, the United States Navy honored Captain John "Bag" Hefti in the most fitting way imaginable: by putting his name on a building dedicated to the mission he spent his career advancing.
The John "Bag" Hefti Global Live, Virtual, and Constructive (LVC) Operations Center — a 40,000-square-foot facility at Naval Air Station Oceana's Dam Neck Annex in Virginia Beach — was officially dedicated in a ceremony attended by over 250 family members, friends, military leaders, and community members.
The Hefti family joined by Admiral Daryl Caudle, Commander of U.S. Fleet Forces Command, and U.S. Representative Jen Kiggans at the ribbon cutting. U.S. Navy photo by Chief Petty Officer Matthew Jackson / Public Domain.
A Flyover, a Blue Carpet, and a Family's Pride
The ceremony opened with a performance by the U.S. Fleet Forces band, followed by a flyover of F/A-18 Hornets and F/A-18E/F Super Hornets from Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 106 — a tribute that would have made Bag, a TOPGUN-trained Naval Aviator, smile.
F/A-18 Hornets and Super Hornets from VFA-106 fly over the facility as Sailors stand at attention during the dedication ceremony. U.S. Navy photo by Chief Petty Officer Matthew Jackson / Public Domain.
Admiral Daryl Caudle, Commander of U.S. Fleet Forces Command, presided over the ribbon cutting alongside the Hefti family and U.S. Representative Jen Kiggans, a former Navy helicopter pilot representing Virginia's 2nd Congressional District.
"LVC is game-changing," Admiral Caudle said during the ceremony. "These LVC operators can make simulated ships, aircraft, and weapons perform indistinguishably from the real thing."
Patricia Hefti, Bag's widow and President of the Bag's Buddies Board, called the dedication "spectacular."
"We are overwhelmed with pride," she said. "We are thrilled the Navy chose this extraordinary building" to honor John's legacy.
What the Facility Does
The Hefti Global LVC Operations Center is the Navy's first dedicated facility for Live, Virtual, and Constructive training — a cutting-edge approach that combines real-world exercises with virtual reality, simulation, and computer-generated scenarios to prepare warfighters for combat.
Admiral Caudle and Representative Jen Kiggans tour the facility's operations center, which consolidates training operations previously spread across four separate sites. U.S. Navy photo by Chief Petty Officer Matthew Jackson / Public Domain.
The center consolidates work that was previously spread across four separate locations, enabling the Navy — and increasingly the Air Force and Marine Corps — to run simulated training at a global scale. It's the kind of facility that changes how the military prepares for real-world operations.
It's exactly the kind of work Bag dedicated his career to.
Why Bag's Name Is on That Wall
Captain John "Bag" Hefti served as Executive Director of Training at U.S. Fleet Forces Command at the time of his passing in October 2021. He was the driving force behind the Navy's LVC training revolution — the person who turned the concept into reality.
Inside the facility, a memorial display features Captain Hefti's portrait, command patches, and career memorabilia. The sign above reads "John 'BAG' Hefti Global LVC Operations Center." U.S. Navy photo by Chief Petty Officer Matthew Jackson / Public Domain.
His Navy career included:
- U.S. Naval Academy graduate (Class of 1985) with an engineering degree
- TOPGUN graduate and designated Naval Aviator
- Commanding Officer of VF-213 "Black Lions" during post-9/11 combat deployments
- Commander of the Tactical Support Wing
- Executive Director of Training at U.S. Fleet Forces Command
Admiral Caudle named the facility after Bag to ensure that the person who built the program would never be forgotten by those who use it.
A Legacy That Lives in Two Places
For the Hefti family, the dedication was deeply personal. But it also connected two parts of Bag's legacy that might seem different on the surface — his military career and his love of coaching youth sports — but are really the same thing.
Bag spent his Navy career making people better. He did it in the cockpit, in the ready room, and in the command center. And when he retired, he did it on the baseball diamonds of Virginia Beach.
That's why Bag's Buddies exists. The same values that made Bag an extraordinary naval officer — excellence, teamwork, selfless service — are the values we celebrate in every scholarship recipient and every young athlete we help get on the field through our youth sports grants.
The Hefti Global LVC Operations Center ensures Bag's professional legacy endures in the Navy he loved. Bag's Buddies ensures his personal legacy endures in the community he called home.
Watch the Ceremony
The Naval Surface Warfare Center Corona Division and U.S. Fleet Forces Command produced video coverage of the ribbon cutting ceremony.
Watch the ribbon cutting video on our News page
In the News
Coverage of the dedication ceremony:
- Fleet Forces Commander Cuts Ribbon on Hefti LVC Operation Center — DVIDS / U.S. Navy
All ceremony photographs are U.S. Navy photos by Chief Petty Officer Matthew Jackson, sourced from DVIDS and released to the public domain.
Play Hard, Have Fun, Same Team.