When Col. Charles Hodges Jr. became the commander of Joint Base Lewis-McChord 14 months ago, he put together his must-do priority list.

His top priority was what he calls "customer service," or meeting the needs of the soldiers' families.

"Our service members and families have sacrificed a heck of a lot since 2001," Hodges said.

"You can't do your job in uniform without having a strong foundation. So, from the start one of my requirements was customer service."

He admitted he might not be able to provide everything from a financial perspective.

"But I can provide first class customer service," Hodges said.

For 20 minutes, Hodges, the key speaker Thursday at the annual South Sound Military and Communities Partnership meeting, shared his goals and visions for JBLM. His second objective is to ensure JBLM remains a joint base. There's a growing resistance to that goal.

"A lot of enemies out there want to go backwards," said Hodges, speaking to nearly 200 people at the Courtyard by Marriott in downtown Tacoma. "There's this silliness about ‘I've got to have mine.' It's ridiculous. We're going to make sure that joint base succeeds."

JBLM, as the second largest employer in the state and the seventh largest city, has a major impact on the surrounding communities. Hodges talked about that impact.

"Of the 118,000 soldiers and families on the institution, only about 30 percent live on base," Hodges said. "They're your neighbors in Chehalis, Tumwater, Olympia, Lacey, Lakewood, Tacoma and Puyallup."

With the base doubling in size since 2001, growing from 16,000 to 45,000, Hodges admitted there has been a negative impact - clogged traffic on I-5. Hodges talked about JBLM's plans to help alleviate that problem by improving roads on base and thereby reducing traffic on I-5.

"How can I on JBLM make our roads more conducive to travel and keep people on JBLM, rather than I-5," Hodges said.

In a 30-minute panel discussion, which included the city managers from Lacey and Lakewood, they talked about proposed solutions to the I-5 traffic clog. Scott Spence, city manager of Lacey, talked about a proposed $72 million road construction project at Marvin Exit and a $25 million project on Martin Way that would include a new cloverleaf.

John Wynands, the assistant regional administrator for the Washington Department of Transportation, talked about the importance of "getting most bang for our buck." But then he talked about spending $12 million on laying fiber-optic cable for signs that tell commuters how long their commute is going to take.

Along the I-5 corridor through JBLM from DuPont to Thorn Lane exits, there's an $820 million project that would add four lanes each way, bumping the lanes from six to 14. More than 152,000 vehicles drive onto JBLM each day.

"In order for us to be successful, we have to work collaboratively," said John Caulfield, the Lakewood city manager. "The issue of transportation is not going to go away. It needs to be addressed."

On JBLM alone, it was reported that there's been $70 million spent in transportation improvements in the past three years and about $100 million the past five years. A major project under way is the Wharf Road, expanding the road from two to four lanes and connecting with Dupont in an attempt to keep traffic off I-5.

One on-base road project currently being done is widening the Transmission Line Road from two lanes to four lanes, helping to relieve congestion. It will be a connecting road between McChord and North Fort Lewis. On I-5, the Washington State Department of Transportation is adding an axillary lane between Thorn Lane and Berkley exits.

Each of the communities represented at the annual forum have a vested interest in JBLM. With about 45,000 active military currently on JBLM, there are about 5,046 living in Lacey, 4,192 in Tacoma, 3,158 in DuPont and 3,096 in Lakewood.

While it's been announced that JBLM will be reduced by one brigade, Hodges said the base will remain a key player in the defense of the country.

"JBLM remains an important facility not only for the nation and the national defense," Hodges said. "But also in Washington state and in the South Sound. With the nation's shift to the Pacific, JBLM is in the perfect position."

Hodges concluded by saying he wanted his focus to be on "hunting elk, not rabbits." He said he needs to do his job so his staff can do theirs. Also, with soldiers transition to the private sector, he wants to help them find work.

"They're going to hang up their uniform and do what Americans have always done, which is serve in the community," Hodges said. "We owe them every effort we can make to make sure that transition is smooth."