The Army says it will listen to opposition to the budget cuts driving the drawdown of military members.

Jan. 21, 2015 from 10 a.m. to noon in the McGavick Conference Center at the Clover Park Technical College in Lakewood, Army officials will listen to concerned individuals about its proposals to cut as many as 11,000 active duty and civilian contractor positions from the Joint Base Lewis-McChord workforce.

This past June, the Army released its Supplemental Programmatic Environmental Assessment, or SPEA. The document indicated that JBLM is being considered for a potential reduction of 16,000 soldiers and civilian workers between 2015 and 2020.

As reported in this newspaper, the assessment found that the reduction in personnel would result in a "significant impact to socioeconomic resources."

The base has already taken an approximate 5,000 personnel reduction.

Army-wide, the current cuts could total as many as 90,000 more positions from the present force of 510,000.

The January meeting may mark the last time the public has the opportunity to comment on the drawdown proposal before the Pentagon decides how deeply the cuts will go and which bases will be affected.

"JBLM is too valuable to downsize," said Tiffany Speir, the program manager for the South Sound Military Community Partnership (SSMCP).

Her group wants to hear from military retirees and business owners who are concerned about potential service cuts at the Northwest's premier power projection platform.

The SSMCP and elected officials intend to highlight a number of programs they've undertaken to support service members. Innovative job training programs, Gov. Jay Inslee's convening of a military affairs council and his setting aside of $278 million for highway improvements on the Interstate 5/JBLM corridor will be highlighted.

JBLM is not alone in facing the Pentagon's budget knife.

Army communities across the nation are facing the potential personnel cuts and the resultant socioeconomic impacts.

"We are competing with other regions," commented Gary Bracket, business and political affairs manager for the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce. "We can either retain soldiers here or have them retained someplace else."

Retention is a good idea.

State officials estimate that the state would lose $20.50 million annually in retail tax collections. 

"Based on some initial calculations, the reduction could result in almost $1.3 billion annually in income losses to our region," wrote John Caulfield, Lakewood city manager, in an article. "Local governments would lose billions of dollars in revenue from sales, property and other taxes."

What local officials and business owners have to say about the importance of JBLM to the area and how the Army hears what they have to say remains problematic.

"At the end of the day, the Army and the Department of Defense are going to make the best decisions for the Army and Department of Defense," said Andy Ryder, mayor of Lacey. "I fully expect that is the case, but it is important for the community and businesses to tell the story of how they're making a difference for the military."

Tell the story well.

For more information about the Jan. 21 meeting, visit SSMCP.org.