Posts Tagged ‘mission support/community partnerships’

Lawmakers on the six subcommittees of the House Armed Services Committee are expected to tackle a number of high-profile issues when then mark up the fiscal 2014 defense authorization bill this week — including the military’s handling of sexual assault, women in combat and oversight of drone strikes — but initiatives proposed by the Pentagon to help curb spending likely will be ignored. For starters, the Readiness Subcommittee is almost certain to leave out authorization for a base closure round in 2015 as DOD has requested …

The Navy has purchased an easement from the Washington Department of Natural Resources to limit development in the waterways surrounding Naval Base Kitsap in northwest Washington. The agreement will preclude near-shore commercial or industrial construction along the areas of the Hood Canal and neighboring waterways managed by DNR where the Navy operates, according to a press release. “[The partnership] will enhance environmental conservation along a portion of the Hood Canal and prevent encroachment into Navy operating ranges that are so vital to our mission and our national security,” said Capt. Peter Dawson, commanding officer of Naval Base Kitsap. “This partnership will also provide new protections for sensitive marine ecosystems, safeguard public access and support the jobs that depend on the Navy’s continued presence in the region,” said Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark.

“It is literally lights out at our military bases,” Rep. Mike Turner said Thursday from the House floor in an effort to dramatize the impact of sequestration. Turner brought a photo of employees standing in a darkened hallway at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, where the lights had been turned off in an effort to save money. In an interview earlier this month, the commander of the 88th Air Base Wing outlined the cuts Wright-Pat is being forced to take to address a 40 percent reduction — more than $30 million — in its budget …

The pace at which soldiers are leaving the Army has increased at Fort Benning, Ga., this year, as the Maneuver Center of Excellence already has topped its total of 4,300 separations in 2012. Last year about 150 soldiers left each month, but now more than 200 service members are leaving the military per month, said Eddie Perez, the post’s transition services manager …

The wait is almost over for nine candidate bases vying to host the Air Force’s new KC-46A tankers. By June 1, the Air Force is expected to announce its preferred base for each of three categories — main operating and training bases led by active-duty units, and a main operating base led by a National Guard unit. In Wichita, Kan., the home of McConnell AFB, community leaders are hoping the base is chosen in one of the two active-base categories it is vying …

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel’s announcement Tuesday that civilian employees would be forced to take 11 days of unpaid leave during the last three months of the fiscal year provided exceptions for significant segments of the workforce, including workers at DOD schools and the Navy’s four public shipyards. About 11,000 teachers, aides and other workers at DOD Education Activity schools will be limited to a maximum of five days of furloughs, which will be taken at the beginning of the 2013-2014 school year …

Providing additional planning data identifying where military personnel and their families live and establishing a long-term civilian point of contact at an installation are two changes that would help defense communities better prepare for mission growth in future BRAC rounds, according to a new report by the Government Accountability Office. While officials at growth installations exchanged planning information with their host communities concerning projected changes in military and civilian personnel, and school-age children, community officials interviewed by the congressional watchdog agency said they needed more specific information …

Car dealerships, restaurants and many other businesses in Bremerton, Wash., know when an aircraft carrier has returned to its homeport at Naval Base Kitsap, located in West Puget Sound. Many car dealerships said sales jumped last week by 10 percent to 20 percent due to the return of the USS John C. Stennis, reported the Kitsap Sun. The impact of the carrier’s arrival on area housing will not become apparent as quickly. Many Stennis sailors take leave after their deployment, choosing to leave the area or return to their hometowns before returning to Bremerton. Some also have on-base options. And if past behavior holds true, in about nine months Harrison Medical Center likely will experience an uptick in births.

Following two days of visits with senior officials at the Pentagon last week, representatives from Craven County say local efforts to strengthen Eastern North Carolina’s Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point and Fleet Readiness Center East are paying off. “Senior civilians in the Pentagon do notice what we have done for Cherry Point, regarding encroachment and in terms of infrastructure improvements and planning and positioning ourselves for future growth …

Three measures intended to improve quality of life for service members, their families and veterans appear headed for passage in the South Carolina Legislature, the latest effort by Palmetto State lawmakers to support the military. The state has paid close attention to a list of 10 military-friendly policies the Pentagon is encouraging states to adopt. The policies cover issues such as the portability of professional licenses for military spouses, easing the way for personnel to receive licensing and academic credit for military training and experience, and increasing access to child care …