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Fewer cuts for JBLM

A reduction of soldiers from JBLM not as bad as anticipated

By the end of fiscal 2018, the active Army expects to have drawn down in size from 490,000 to 450,000. Photo credit: Pfc. Reese Von Rogatsz

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There was a collective sign of relief likely felt last week across the South Sound after the Army announced the cuts at Joint Base Lewis-McChord would be nothing as the forecasters warned.  In fact, as the dust settled, it's possible the 1,251 drawdown announced for here will be partially offset by other units the Army wants to move to JBLM.

By the end of fiscal 2018, the active Army expects to have drawn down in size from 490,000 to 450,000, said Army officials during a press conference at the Pentagon, last week.

"These are incredibly difficult choices," said Brig. Gen. Randy George, director of force management for the Army. "The Army followed a long and deliberate process that included utilization of a (Government Accountability Office)-endorsed military value analysis process, and an inclusive total Army analysis - in order to determine the best construct for the Army, based on the threats we face and the current fiscal environment we must operate in."

The 1,251 soldier reduction at JBLM will include the elimination of four companies, a battalion, and a reduction of soldiers from various Army headquarters across the base.

Last winter, news organizations indicated that 11,000 soldiers could be cut from JBLM.  Several hundred local business leaders and government officials packed the McGavick Center at Clover Park Vocational School in March to address Army investigators traveling from base to base to hear testimony of community impacts resulting from such wide-spread troop cuts.  In May, Washington Governor Jay Inslee formed a task force to deal with the potential loss of billions from our state if anywhere near 11,000 soldiers cut became true.  

What happened instead is the Army spread the hurt across an entire country of bases. These overall cuts will impact nearly every Army installation worldwide. JBLM is among six installations that will lose more than 1,000 soldiers:

  • Fort Benning, Georgia, about 3,400
  • Fort Hood, Texas, about 3,350
  • Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, about 2,600
  • Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, about 1,200
  • Fort Bliss, Texas, about 1,200

"Budget constraints are forcing us to reduce the Total Army," said Lt. Gen. Joseph Anderson, Army deputy chief of staff, G-3-5-7. "These were very difficult decisions to make as all of our installations and their communities offer tremendous value to our Army and the Nation. In the end, we had to make decisions based on a number of strategic factors, to include readiness impacts, mission command and cost."

As part of these reductions, the number of regular Army brigade combat teams, the basic deployable units of maneuver in the Army, will continue to reduce from a wartime high of 45 to 30 by the end of fiscal 2017.

The Army said the reduction of 17,000 civilians are expected to occur through attrition and no-fill vacancies.

The release also included some increases at JBLM. A chemical company and a vertical engineer company will be activated.

The Army also announced they plan to study a proposal for the Washington National Guard's 81st Armored Brigade Combat Team, whose more than 3,200 soldiers currently operate M1A1 Abrams Tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles, to convert to a Stryker brigade.

If that conversion goes through, Washington will become just the second state to have a Guard Stryker brigade, joining the Pennsylvania National Guard, which converted in 2006.  The Strykers from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, on Schofield Barracks, are expected to move to support the Army National Guard's, or ARNG's, 81st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 40th Infantry Division, in Washington, Oregon and California. The equipment from that heavy unit will move to the active Army to establish pre-positioned stock in Europe to bolster the ongoing commitment to the European Reassurance Initiative.

"This is a huge win for Washington state," said Maj. Gen. Bret Daugherty, the state's adjutant general and commander of the Washington National Guard. "Our tanks and Bradleys are critical for our federal mission, however, they're too heavy to move on our local roads making them almost useless following a state disaster. The Strykers are a more mobile, versatile vehicle that will ensure the Washington National Guard can get out into our communities and perform its mission to save lives and protect property here at home. That ability will be especially important following a Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake and tsunami.

"The conversion also aligns us more closely with our partners at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, enabling our soldiers to receive unique training to help prepare for any future overseas deployments," said Daugherty.

During the press conference, the Army provided a list of 30 installations - including those six - where changes would be made. Communities outside those installations will regrettably be affected, by the changes, George said, but "the Army has to operate within the budget provided. Part of doing that is restructuring and reorganizing to be able to accomplish the Army's mission in the best manner possible."

Cuts to the force will come from reductions of headquarters - focusing on two-star and above headquarters; the reduction of brigade combat teams; the Aviation Restructure Initiative; operational force design changes; and reduction to enabler and generating forces.

George said that the Army will try to draw down the active force end strength gradually in order to "minimize the turbulence we have with soldiers and their families."

By the end of fiscal 2015, the force will be at 490,000 soldiers; at the end of FY16, 475,000; at the end of FY17, 460,000; and at the end of FY17, 450,000.

The Army also plans to reduce the size of two-star-and-above headquarters by some 25 percent. For divisions, this means a reduction of about 225 soldiers. For a corps-sized headquarters, this means about 222 soldiers.

When determining which cuts to make, and where, the Army conducted environmental and socioeconomic analysis of reductions at the Army's 30 largest installations. Additionally, the Army received more than 111,000 public comments on the force structure changes. The Army also conducted "community listening" sessions at those 30 installations to receive input from residents and civic leaders. More than 22,000 attended the listening sessions to provide input.

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