Naval Support Activity Naples, Italy, unveils an upgraded weight room and equipment at one of its fitness centers Jan. 26, 2026. This upgrade aligns with the Navy’s Sailors First initiative, which focuses on improving quality of life to increase readiness. (Sean Rinner/U.S. Navy)
NAPLES, Italy — New treadmills and other equipment planned for U.S. Naval Support Activity Naples gyms this year will cap more than $500,000 in facility upgrades designed to improve sailors’ fitness and quality of life.
Improvements include four outdoor pop-up gyms and two new training zones at base fitness centers designed to help sailors build the strength and endurance needed in their jobs, NSA Naples said in a statement Jan. 27.
The upgrades not only underscore the Navy’s Sailors First initiative, but also “ensure our warfighters have the tools they need to stay physically and mentally prepared for any challenge,” base commander Capt. John Randazzo said in the statement.
In March, Defense Department Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered a rapid services-wide review of physical fitness, body composition and grooming standards.
As part of the DOD initiative, the Navy will require active-duty sailors to complete two physical fitness assessments each year starting in 2026, a return to the standards before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The change is among related service initiatives, such as gender-neutral fitness tests and body composition measurements, made in response to Hegseth’s order.
Over the summer, NSA Naples established outdoor fitness centers, called “fit boxes,” at its Capodichino and Gaeta sites. Two more are at the base’s Support Site, which includes barracks and family housing.
The boxes are converted cargo containers that feature barbells, weights, sleds, kettlebells, a climbing rope, pullup bars and other fitness equipment.
A U.S. sailor does pullups at a recently installed fit box at Naval Support Activity Naples, Italy, Jan. 14, 2026. Upgrades at the base align with the Navy’s Sailors First initiative, which focuses on improving quality of life to increase readiness. (Sean Rinner/U.S. Navy)
In addition, two training and nutrition zones installed at the base’s fitness centers offer squat racks, deadlift platforms and other equipment that directly support the specific requirements of the Navy’s fitness test, the base said.
Those projects cost $157,000 and $267,000, respectively, Lt. j.g. Valentine Mulango, a base spokesman, said in a separate statement earlier this month.
An additional $120,000 will be spent in 2026 for new treadmills, cross-trainers, fitness test-approved bikes and sled mills, Mulango said.
NSA Naples Morale, Welfare and Recreation also offers an interactive digital platform with virtual classes such as spin, yoga or Zumba accessible 24 hours daily.
That option, along with the ability to use fitness centers after hours when staffers are gone, offers sailors convenience and control over their personal fitness goals, the base said.
U.S. Naval Support Activity Naples, Italy, unveils upgraded weight room and equipment at one of its fitness centers Jan. 26, 2026. This upgrade aligns with the Navy’s ‘Sailors First’ initiative which focuses on improving quality of life to increase readiness. (Sean Rinner/U.S. Navy)
A U.S. sailor uses a fit box for a bench lift at U.S. Naval Support Activity Naples, Italy, Jan. 14, 2026. The base will invest upward of $500,000 on fitness facility upgrades in 2026. (Sean Rinner/U.S. Navy)
