Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy told Navy Secretary Ray Mabus about the state’s extensive support for Naval Submarine Base New London during a Pentagon meeting Monday. “Forging a relationship with the Navy Secretary can only help us as we navigate the BRAC process in the years ahead,” Malloy said in a written statement …
In an effort to reduce installation operating costs, Air Force officials are increasingly looking toward their community hosts to provide support services the military previously supplied itself. The service’s Global Basing Structure initiative “asks base leaders to assess which services are most needed and challenges the notion that services must be provided independently,” said Susan Olaciregui, civic outreach chief for Hanscom Air Force Base …
Businesses surrounding the airfield at Joint Base Andrews, Md., are worried about the impact of proposed land use restrictions that would limit development on their properties. The proposed regulations, introduced in the Prince George’s County Council, would bar new construction on vacant properties, along with new residences, and limit businesses to their existing floor area. They also would prevent businesses from making changes that would jeopardize additional workers …
The Army plans to execute $900 million in energy efficiency projects financed by the private sector in the next two years, bringing the total level of Army investments in energy savings achieved through performance contracting to almost $2.5 billion, Richard Kidd IV, deputy assistant secretary for energy and sustainability, said last week. The $900 million goal is more than double the amount needed by the Army to meet requirements established in a December memorandum from President Obama …
The Air Force has set a goal of generating a net present value of $5 billion through the enhanced use leasing program through fiscal 2020, with a special emphasis on projects relying on the production of renewable energy, according to testimony submitted by Terry Yonkers, assistant secretary for installations, environment and logistics, to the House Military Construction Appropriations Subcommittee. So far, the service has executed nine leases with a net present value of $233 million under the program. Officials are close to completing a comprehensive survey of all Air Force installations to identify potential sites for new EUL projects …
The city of Alameda is considering acting as its own master developer for the former Naval Air Station Alameda, an approach that would require it to finance the entitlement process for the 918-acre site. Securing entitlements is expected to cost $5 million, but would provide the city greater control over the future of the property on San Francisco Bay and spark competition among potential developers …
The frosty reception the Pentagon’s request for a BRAC round — at least in 2013 — received from both the House and Senate Armed Services committees during Capitol Hill hearings over the past several weeks is a pretty good indication that DOD will need to wait until at least 2015 for an opportunity to carry out wholesale changes in its inventory of installations. And while many defense communities, understandably, are celebrating the apparent reprieve, for some, it’s just business as usual …
Wyoming earlier this month became the 41st state to adopt an interstate agreement intended to smooth the transition between school districts when military children move. The Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children addresses key educational transition issues encountered by military families, including enrollment, placement, attendance, eligibility and graduation …
The state of Connecticut is considering paying about $300,000 to purchase 20 acres outside of Naval Submarine Base New London to enlarge the buffer zone around the installation. The purchase of land in Ledyard is intended to increase the Groton base’s military value. “Our efforts in Connecticut are proactive, not reactive …
House leaders are confident they will have the votes to pass the fiscal 2013 budget resolution introduced this week after the plan was narrowly approved in committee Wednesday. The plan’s mechanism for undoing the first year of automatic defense spending cuts taking effect starting in January appears to have drawn the support of conservative lawmakers …