Posts Tagged ‘mission support/community partnerships’

To slash its end strength by 72,000 soldiers, the Army will be forced to discharge up to 29,000 personnel involuntarily, Thomas Lamont, assistant secretary for manpower and reserve affairs, told the Senate Armed Services Personnel Subcommittee Wednesday. Between 23,000 and 24,000 enlisted personnel would be asked to leave involuntarily, and between 4,000 and 5,000 officers would be forced out, reported CQ Today. The Pentagon proposed reducing the size of the Army from 562,000 to 490,000 by fiscal 2017 in its most recent budget request. As officials continue to look for ways to cut spending, the Army may decide to shift more of its capability to reserve forces, Lamont said.

The expected announcement by the United States and Japan about a renegotiated agreement for realigning the Marine Corps presence in Japan has been delayed, possibly over criticism from U.S. lawmakers. On Tuesday, Sens. Carl Levin, John McCain and Jim Webb raised a number of concerns after getting briefed on the deal …

Lawmakers are expected to take up the Air Force’s latest plan to cut the Air National Guard in the fiscal 2013 defense authorization bill in response to the Pentagon’s compromise Monday to restore some of the aircraft and personnel slated to be eliminated. The House Armed Services Committee, which starts marking up the defense authorization bill today, is considering restoring cuts to the Air Force and Air National Guard …

Three members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, including the top Democrat and Republican, repeated their concerns Tuesday that the Pentagon has yet to answer questions about the cost, military sustainment and force management, and overall strategy for the Asia-Pacific region after being briefed on a new agreement between the United States and Japan on the planned move of Marines from Okinawa to Guam. “We require additional information regarding how this proposal relates to the broader strategic concept of operations in the region, the Marine Corps’ concept of operations, master plans and alternatives to base realignments on Guam and Okinawa, as well as the positioning of U.S. Air Force units in the Asia-Pacific region …

Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Tuesday that Defense Secretary Leon Panetta’s offer to restore some of the proposed cuts to the Air National Guard represented “progress,” but stopped short of fully endorsing the Pentagon’s revised plan. On Monday, Panetta offered to restore 24 C-130s and 2,200 Guard positions at a cost of $400 million over five years after the department rejected a more far-reaching proposal from the Council of Governors …

The Defense Department, Navy and developer of a proposed 83-turbine wind farm located near Naval Air Station Kingsville reached agreement last week on a series of actions to mitigate the potential for the project to interfere with flight operations at the installation situated on the Texas Coastal Bend. The deal alleviates the fears of Navy officials about the likelihood that proposed wind farms could affect installations across the state …

U.S. and Japanese officials have agreed that only 4,000 Marines will move from Okinawa to Guam, a drop from a revised understanding reached earlier this year, according to reports in the Japanese media. In February, the two nations scaled down their original plan to relocate 8,000-plus Marines and their families to Guam. At the time, DOD officials indicated only 4,700 Marines would move …

Defense officials have agreed to shift $400 million to the Air National Guard to fund 24 C-130 aircraft in a compromise intended to mollify state governors unhappy over wide-ranging cuts to Air National Guard personnel and aircraft included in the Air Force’s fiscal 2013 budget proposal, the AFP news service reported Monday night. The money would come out of the service’s budget for the active force …

The Navy is gathering support from 10 southern Maryland counties surrounding Patuxent River Naval Air Station to participate in an assessment of land uses that are compatible with the Navy test center. The joint land use study, which could begin in September, would cover the counties within range of testing conducted at Pax River and could factor into deliberations over upcoming BRAC rounds, reported Delmarvanow.com. The JLUS may include recommendations on whether wind turbines are a compatible land use in southern Maryland. A separate study is evaluating the impact on military radar of a proposed wind farm in Somerset County located across Chesapeake Bay from Pax River.

In an attempt to ensure the future of Fairchild Air Force Base, Spokane County commissioners last week approved new land use rule to protect the eastern Washington installation from urban development. The commissioners said the zoning code protections also could help the base attract the next generation of refueling tankers the Air Force is acquiring. The rules require noise insulation in new homes and notice to people who are considering moving into the defined military influence area with 65 decibels or more of jet noise …