In an effort to preserve Eielson AFB, the Alaska legislature is considering a measure intended to reduce the Fairbanks installation’s operating costs. After passing the House earlier this month, the Senate now is taking up House Bill 316, which would create military facility zones that offer state and federal incentives for businesses that support Alaska’s military …
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 …
A two-day immersion in military life sponsored by the Arizona National Guard and the Arizona Coalition for Military Families comes complete with meals ready to eat, 5 a.m. marches and weapons and tactics demonstrations. The goal of the program is to help participants understand the physical and mental stresses of military life so they can better relate to service members …
The city of Sierra Vista can support Fort Huachuca in a number of ways, with improving the reputation of the state’s public education system being the most urgent, Garrison Commander Col. Timothy Faulkner told city council members last week. While the installation’s missions leave it well positioned as DOD looks to trim spending over the next 10 years, the perception of Arizona schools has hurt the post’s efforts to recruit employees in some highly technical fields …
State and local officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday for the first commercial building to open at Falcon Hill National Aerospace Research Park on Hill AFB in northern Utah, the Air Force’s largest enhanced use leasing project. The project includes 8 million square feet of office space and supporting restaurants and hotels on 550 acres on Hill’s west side …
Officials in Jacksonville, N.C., and Onslow County are looking at a number of initiatives that could help the region’s Camp Lejeune take advantage of future BRAC rounds. “We’re trying to position ourselves to be in a place to benefit from any realignment or closures that take place elsewhere in the country …
In the face of looming defense budget cuts and the possibility of one or more base closure rounds, states and communities attempting to support their local installations can employ of variety of strategies to minimize adverse impacts while potentially positioning themselves to gain additional missions. The most critical step a community can take is to form a “trusting relationship” with base officials, Michael Hayes, managing director of Maryland’s Office of Military and Federal Affairs, said during a session of the 2012 ADC Winter Forum …
At the 2012 ADC Winter Forum on Tuesday, representatives from the services said they want to expand the degree to which their installations engage in partnerships with their host communities, other local groups and the private sector, but when it comes to collaborating with their neighbors to acquire municipal services, multiple challenges remain to be overcome. In response to a question focusing on partnerships following the “Monterey model,” the Army’s Craig College and the Air Force’s Kathleen Ferguson both noted that one constraint is that their offices have yet to craft service-wide policies to guide installation officials …
The Subase Coalition, the group that led efforts to save Naval Submarine Base New London from closure in the last BRAC round, believes it needs to restart a campaign to protect the installation despite indications from Washington lawmakers that they will rebuff the Pentagon’s request for new rounds in 2013 and 2015. “We should assume nothing is safe …
A partnership between Eglin Air Force Base and Okaloosa, Walton and Santa Rosa counties in Northwest Florida is evaluating potential growth conflicts that could interfere with training and other missions at the installation. The Air Force is mainly concerned with development in flight paths and cruise missile corridors. Specific concerns include light that interferes with night training, tall structures and noise complaints …