NCFA Visited MARAD Vessels at Sperry

An earlier blog article wrote of the upcoming visit by the National Commission for the Future of the Army’s (NCFA) to JBLM and the public hearing available to the community to share its comments with the commission.

The NCFA is a non-discretionary Federal advisory committee established by the Secretary of Defense to conduct a comprehensive study of the structure of the Army, and policy assumptions, related to the size and force mixture. The NCFA visited Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) September 22-25.

During the public hearing, members of the community, including the Tacoma-Pierce Co. Chamber, the South Sound Military & Communities Partnership, the Washington (State) Military Alliance/Washington State Dept. of Commerce and the City of Lakewood spoke of logistics, the Great Circle, quality of life, the Pivot to the Pacific, relationships with the Washington National Guard and other matters relevant to a grand design for tomorrow’s Army from the perspective of the Pacific Northwest and JBLM.

However, an aspect of their visit not reported has been the NCFA’s visit to the MARAD vessels in ready reserve condition at Sperry Ocean Terminals (aka Sperry Dock) at the Port of Tacoma, Commencement Bay.

On September 23, Miguel Jimenez, Director PNW-D and Christopher Donohue, PNW-D Marine Cargo Specialist joined with the Port of Tacoma (Andre Elmaleh, Military Liaison; Sean Eagan, Director Governmental Affairs, Robert Meyer, Senior Manager Port Operations, Gerry Fiola, Chief of Security, Louis Cooper, Senior Director Security and Labor Relations, and Bari Bookout, Executive for Non-Containerized Business and Commercial Strategy) and Military Sealift Command (MSC) (Bruce Leach, Director), and the USCG (Captain of the Port,CAPT M.W. “Joe” Raymond) to welcome the NCFA members at the Port and aboard the Ready Reserve Force (RRF) vessel CAPE ISLAND berthed at the Sperry Ocean Terminals. The joint team facilitated the continuation of JBLM's presentation to the NCFA addressing the unique regional power projection capabilities at JBLM and the PNW Strategic Seaport.

Jimenez began the discussion by setting the stage with some history about military port operations in the PNW, transitioning to present SDDC PNW-D capabilities. He explained the difference between Strategic and Alternate Seaports noting all of the key ports in the PNW and the metrics measured through Strategic Analysis through the Ports for National Defense program conducted by SDDC, Transportation Engineering Agency. The Port of Tacoma highlighted their ability to rapidly receive, stage, and load military cargo. MSC discussed how they are postured regionally and along the West Coast to support rapid movement from the PNW. The Commission asked questions regarding the life of steam powered ships (both CAPE I vessels berthed at the Sperry Dock are steam powered). The Captain of the Port discussed water side security response and relationships through committees like the Port Readiness Committee.

The Commission members included Thomas Lamont, former Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower, former Sergeant Major of the Army Raymond Chandler, III (retired), and LTG Jack Stultz (retired).

The Commission will issue its report no later than February 1, 2016.  Contact:

Col.Kristen Dixon, Public Affairs Officer, Commission Staff, 571-294-2914, NCFA or Joe Eule, 571-256-2643, or at 2530 Crystal Drive, Taylor Bldg., Suite 5000, Arlington, VA 22202, (o) 571.256.2651. 

ADC Issues Invite to First PNW Conference

You are invited to the first ever Association of Defense Communities’ Pacific Northwest Defense Forum, to be held August 20-21 at the American Lake Conference Center on Joint Base Lewis-McChord. 

Registration Open for ADC Northwest Defense Forum

View the updated agenda here.

The event will feature legislative leaders as well as national, state and local military and civilian experts on a wide range of defense issues, such as effects from the Army downsizing announcement in 2015, expanding missions for installations in the northwest, evolving community-military relations for the future, and more.

ADC’s Regional Events Series is bringing community and industry leaders from across the Northwest for a first-of-its-kind, one-day event to gather intelligence on the latest activities at DoD and on Capitol Hill, and the impact they have across the Northwest region.  This is also your chance to hear from other nearby community leaders facing similar challenges and share what works and what doesn’t.

Click here to register today - thank you and see you there!

More detailed information follows:

Building Resilient Defense Communities

In defense communities across the country, budget cuts, mission changes and defense infrastructure maintenance shortfalls are leaving installations, communities, states and partners looking for new ways to overcome uncertain obstacles.

But the challenges – and solutions – that work in one place may not work for all communities.

WHO IS ATTENDING?

•             Local and state government officials

•             Defense policy experts

•             Federal Congressional Leadership

•             Regional planners

•             Air Force, Army and Navy Leadership

•             Military families

•             Local business leaders

•             Education professionals

•             Civic planning commission volunteers

•             Non-profit leaders

•             Anyone concerned about how decisions in Washington DC will impact military installations

KEY ISSUES

Policy leaders and defense experts will discuss the pressing issues facing the Northwest Region, such as:

•             Defense Downsizing, Force Reductions and Mission Realignment

•             Mission Readiness and Defense Infrastructure Budget Shortfalls

•             The Growing Importance of Installation-Community Partnerships

•             Synchronizing Community Economic Development and Infrastructure with Current and Emerging Military Missions

•             Military Compatible Land Use and Encroachment

•             Military Family Quality of Life and Child Education

FEATURED EXPERT PANEL: STATE OF DEFENSE

Leading insiders will explore the crossroads facing the military and their host communities by sharing insight on the current environment and how emerging trends, such as force restructuring, Programmatic Change or BRAC and the defense budget uncertainty may affect how the region’s military installations and defense communities look in the future. 

REGISTRATION

Registration is only $50, which covers the full educational program, lunch and an evening networking reception. Register today HERE.

SPONSORSHIP

Show how much your organization supports defense communities, the military and families. There is a wide range of sponsorship packages available. Download sponsorship materials HERE or contact Matt Borron email or (202) 822-5256.

LOCATION

The Northwest Defense Communities Regional Forum will be held on Joint Base Lewis-McChord at the American Lakes Conference Center. For more information, visit HERE.

In the Northwestern U.S., the economic development and defense support needs can be just as unique as the culture, people and national security missions that call the region home.

WMA Adopts Ops Plan

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Gov Announces Formation of Subcabinet on Military Downsizing

Governor Inslee announces state agencies to focus on coordinated state response to potential military reductions.

Gov. Inslee today announced the formation of a Subcabinet on Military Downsizing to address possible reductions in military force in the state.

As a result of deep cuts outlined under sequestration and with a reduction in deployments after more than a decade of war, the United States military is reducing and realigning their forces throughout the country.

Active duty Army strength is expected to be reduced from 570,000 troops to less than 440,000 nationally. As part of this action, the Department of Defense (DOD) has considered potential reductions of up to 11,000 active duty soldiers and DOD civilian personnel at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM).

Though all branches of the Armed Services will likely be impacted, the Army has, to date, provided greater detail as to the potential for reductions. While the Army has made no official announcement yet, the state is preparing for a final decision for JBLM as early as late June.

“There is an all-hands-on-deck effort to make the case to DOD that Washington is the right place to keep service members, DOD civilians and their families,” said Inslee, who has already made the case to DOD that such deep cuts would have grievous effects on Washington’s economy. “It is also vital that we are prepared to respond to any reductions. This has the potential to be a once-in-a-generation challenge of a size and scope that will impact our communities and economy for years to come.”

“Our first priority, should a significant reduction take place, is ensuring impacted service members and civilians receive the education, training and employer connections necessary to find work quickly as they transition out of life at JBLM,” Inslee continued.

The subcabinet consists of eleven state agencies directly involved in the state’s downsizing response plan. Department of Commerce Director Brian Bonlender will chair the group. Its primary focus is to prepare a plan for scalable and appropriate responses related to workforce training and re-employment of transitioning service members, DOD civilians and contractors; mitigating impacts to the local communities around the installations; and preparing for economic development and revitalization opportunities in the event of a large scale force reduction.

The subcabinet comes as a result of a larger effort by the governor to focus on the military and defense community as a key economic sector in the state. Starting with the creation of the Military and Defense Sector at the state, along with reconvening and formalizing the Washington Military Alliance, the governor was instrumental in supporting the state’s effort to secure a $4.8 million DOD grant to focus on the state’s response to defense businesses in the wake of a reduction in defense spending.

The military and defense sector plays a significant role in Washington’s economy. In 2013, DOD spending in Washington topped $13.1 billion dollars and represented 3.2 percent of the state’s GDP. Washington ranks in the top ten states for military spending and is the 6th most military populated state. Of the 112,560 military personnel in Washington, over half reside in the South Puget Sound.

“Reduction of military forces would have far-reaching and long-lasting impacts in Washington, especially to the service members, DOD civilians and their families who call this place home,” Bonlender said. “Governor Inslee is committed to helping these military families and the communities they live in to transition successfully.”

The subcabinet will convene on June 17.

Washington Military Alliance Announces Interim Leadership Team

The Washington Military Alliance (WMA) named four members to serve as their executive leadership team while the organization moves forward as a chartered public-partnership formed to provide a single voice in representing the state’s interests as the U.S. Department of Defense proceeds with spending cuts and potential military base downsizing.

Rich Hadley, representing the Association of Washington Business; Tiffany Speir, South Sound Military and Communities Partnership; Gary Brackett, Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce, and John Powers, Kitsap Economic Development Alliance will lead the WMA. The leadership team was selected to represent each of the WMA’s four focus areas: industry, infrastructure, military community advocacy organizations, and economic Associate Development Organizations (ADOs) respectively.

“Washington’s military and defense industry represents some $16 billion to our state’s economy and tens of thousands of jobs. I applaud the leaders and members of our Washington Military Alliance for stepping up to promote and protect this vitally important sector,” said Gov. Jay Inslee. “I’m confident that this is a powerful, effective public-private partnership to forge a successful path forward for every community that relies on our military assets.”

Convened in 2012 and formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding by Gov. Inslee in September 2014, WMA is a consortium of some 20 organizations with an economic or workforce interest in the state’s defense community. One of the first major accomplishments of this stakeholder group was a joint effort to secure a $4.3 million USDOD Office of Economic Adjustment (OEA) grant to help assess and forecast statewide economic impact of Washington’s defense industry, and plan local assistance for potential defense industry adjustments.

Over the next six months, the WMA will draft bylaws, identify a sustainable organizational structure, and reach out to additional community stakeholders. The interim executive team was elected to serve until a permanent leadership team is selected through an approved bylaw process.

The group also appointed a committee of members to advise the Washington State Department of Commerce on activities related to the USDOD grant. The OEA grant advisory committee has 11 members: Troy McClelland (Economic Alliance Snohomish County), Robin Toth (Greater Spokane Inc.), Tiffany Scroggs (Thurston County Economic Development Council), Andrea Spencer (City of Bremerton), Sarah Lee (Puget Sound Regional Council), Tiffany Speir (South Sound Military Community Partnership), John Powers (Kitsap Economic Development Council), Rich Hadley (Association of Washington Business), Gary Brackett (Tacoma-Pierce Chamber of Commerce), Dave Hunt (Pacific Northwest Defense Coalition), and an open at-large seat.

About the Washington Military Alliance

Washington State is home to a diverse military industry, with varied military and defense missions, needs, and opportunities and a different stakeholder group for every aspect of an issue related to the military and defense community. It was important to the Governor to convene a group of diverse military community stakeholders to come together with one voice in response to potential cuts to defense spending.

In response, the Washington Military Alliance (WMA) was convened in late 2012 and formalized under Governor Jay Inslee in September, 2014. Find more information here.