Aberdeen Proving Ground
A symbolic milestone was reached at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., this spring with the completion of the exterior of all of the buildings being constructed as part of Phase I of a sprawling campus here, which will eventually contain 2.4 million square feet of office space for well over 7,000 military and civilian personnel and support contractors.
The emerging Army Team C4ISR (command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) campus represents a new beginning for the Army and a once-in-a-generation investment in a Center of Excellence that will be unequalled anywhere in the world.
Part of the ArmyAca,!a,,cs transformation involves Department of Defense Base Realignment and Closure initiatives, including the relocation of the Army Team C4ISR missionAca,!"comprising the Army CECOM Life Cycle Management Command; the Army Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center; and Army Program Executive Offices for Command, Control and Communications-Tactical and for Intelligence, Electronic Warfare and SensorsAca,!"from Fort Monmouth, N.J., to APG by September 2011.
Army officials broke ground on the new $477 million complex at APG, marking the start of construction of Aca,!A"Phase OneAca,!A? of the campus on March 17, 2008.
Five administration and laboratory buildings, a secure shop and warehouse, an auditorium and a training facility of 1.5 million square feet will be built.
As of March 20, 363 Army Team C4ISR personnel had either relocated or been hired at APG and more than 800 additional personnel will relocate or be hired by the end of this year. Well over 1,000 Army Team C4ISR military, civilian and contractor positions will be located at APG by the end of 2009.
All of the remaining positions are expected to move through 2010 and 2011 as construction of the offices and laboratories on the Phase One and Phase Two campuses are completed. There are also plans for a food court, development of a shore park area and a new childcare facility.
Success in the initial phased relocations to APG has set the conditions for the successful movement of major elements of the command by establishing an initial command and control structure there, Maj. Gen. Dennis L. Via, commanding general of Army CECOM LCMC said.
Looking forward, Via emphasized Aca,!A"we are leveraging BRAC as a catalyst for changeAca,!A|(and to) reconstitute the command and determine what we need to support the future force and capabilities in 2015 and beyond.Aca,!A?
The CECOM LCMC will be using BRAC to transform and enrich its organization, facilities and people. Personnel in related mission and business processes will be co-located in the new campus to provide a collaborative work environment. Labs will complement each other and facilities once spread across several buildings will now be much closer together.
The campus will serve as the new Army CoE for C4ISR with the new mission domains encompassing traditional program management functions as well as research and development, supported by functional representatives from across the life cycle of systems and equipment.
This CoE will include green spaces, vistas and lots of daylight to help develop a more relaxing environment. Employees will have the opportunity to cross train, will have flexible work schedules and will work in decentralized operations in a state-of-the-art information technology environment.
It is anticipated that as many as 1,250 positions will be filled between now and 2011, primarily at APG; and an additional 2,000 vacancies will require recruitment at APG after the full transfer of the mission occurs in 2011.
Current and future vacancies exist in many civilian career fields, including engineering and science; logistics/supply/maintenance; administrative/business; contracting; and information technology. For transitioning Soldiers with skills in these areas, job opportunities will be plentiful. In addition to full performance positions, Army Team C4ISR will be recruiting management trainees as well. Information has been provided to Army Career and Alumni Program offices worldwide and is also available on the ACAP website for featured employers.
As part of its strategy to meet hiring challenges, Army Team C4ISR has extended its outreach efforts to wounded Soldiers, including coordination with the ArmyAca,!a,,cs Warrior Care and Transition Office, which oversees the various warrior transition units. Similar programs also are being utilized such as the Army Materiel CommandAca,!a,,cs Always a Soldier Program, designed to assist wounded Soldiers in finding jobs.
Aca,!A"Working together, weAca,!a,,cll meet the challenges of relocating our complex mission; and weAca,!a,,cll continue to excel in supporting our nationAca,!a,,cs warfighters and overseas contingency operations,Aca,!A? Via said.
Aca,!"Henry Kearney/Fort Monmouth Public Affairs
Fort Bragg, N.C.
With the turn of a shovel, Lt. Gen. Jack C. Stultz, chief of the Army Reserve, and Army Reserve Command Sgt. Maj. Leon Caffie put into motion the construction of the combined headquarters of the Army Reserve and Army Forces Command in a ceremony, Dec. 8, 2008, here.
The ceremonial ground breaking marked the beginning of the biggest transformation project of the Army Reserve under the 2005 BRAC.
Aca,!A"From an operational standpoint, we are linked at the hip with FORSCOM,Aca,!A? said Stultz, adding the Army Reserve provides more than 200,000 Soldiers for FORSCOM-directed missions around the world.
Stultz said that when the Army Reserve develops rotation plans for support to Iraq, Afghanistan, other portions of the world, plus stateside missions, the two commands already work closely together at Fort McPherson, Ga.
Aca,!A"WeAca,!a,,cre sitting down with Forces Command and developing the Army Reserve forces we have available. Stultz added that together with FORSCOM and 1st Army, the forces are trained and then deployed.
The new building will contain 600,000 square feet of office space and will house more than 2,700 military and civilian personnel.
Aca,!A"Today is an important milestone,Aca,!A? said Gen. Charles C. Campbell, commander, Army Forces Command. Aca,!A"WeAca,!a,,cre making a real and tangible step forward.Aca,!A?
Both Stultz and Campbell praised Fort Bragg, Army Corps of Engineers-Savannah District, Fayetteville and North Carolina congressional officials for their efforts in paving the way towards this phase of Army transformation.
Aca,!A"Fort Bragg is going to continue to be at the forefront in even greater ways in terms of what our nationAca,!a,,cs military does,Aca,!A? said U.S. Rep. Mike McIntyre, N.C. 7th District.
The new headquarters will be located at the corner of Knox and Randolph streets and is expected to cost nearly $300 million.
According to Ken Williamson, Army Reserve Command chief executive officer, the construction plan is slated at 1,000 days build time with an estimated completion in the summer 2011.
Aca,!"Timothy L. Hale/Army Reserve Public Affair
Fort Hamilton, N.Y.
Construction of the Fort Hamilton Armed Forces Reserve Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., is underway and is expected to be finished in two years. The $56-million project will greatly increase Fort HamiltonAca,!a,,cs capabilities as a vital component to AmericaAca,!a,,cs national security and to New York CityAca,!a,,cs frontline defense.
The project includes a new 123,000-square-foot Armed Forces Reserve Center, a 3,500-square-foot maintenance-training building and other facilities that include classrooms and arms rooms, providing units with a modern and revitalized environment that will support National Guard units and active-duty Soldiers.
The project is a part of the BRAC Report requirement to renovate and build Armed Forces Reserve Centers across the country, to consolidate existing and outlying Reserve and National Guard facilities to best support retention and recruitment, as well as provide administrative support.
Fort Knox, Ky.
Fort KnoxAca,!a,,cs impressive number of BRAC and non-BRAC related projects represents more than $700 million in construction contracts, according to Col. Jeffrey Ogden, the deputy garrison commander for transformation.
First and perhaps foremost of the many new buildings going up is the Human Resources CoE, which will house more than 4,000 employees with nearly one million square feet of office space. Ground was broken for the center, scheduled to be completed by June of 2010, in November 2007.
The BRAC blueprint calls for consolidation of the ArmyAca,!a,,cs Accessions Command and the Human Resources Command from its current three locations of Alexandria, Va., St. Louis and Indianapolis, into the new location at Fort Knox.
While the Armor center is moving to Fort Benning, Ga., the post will still retain a major uniformed presence. Several units have been stood up on post in the last few years, and more are on the way. The second of many phases of construction for the incoming infantry brigade combat team is nearing completion. The first phase of barracks was completed last summer and is designed to be home for 600 single Soldiers of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team of the 1st Infantry Division, who will begin arriving at Fort Knox when their current deployment to Afghanistan is completed this summer.
Construction and transformation are very important, but the effect of the BRAC changes on the incoming workforce is even more so. Their decades of experience and institutional knowledge would be a significant loss to the organizations, Fort Knox and our Army if a large percentage of them chose not to move here with their jobs.
In an effort to mitigate as much loss as possible, the Fort Knox BRAC Road Show was born.
Post organizationsAca,!"civilian personnel; family, morale welfare and recreation; education services; medical and dental activity; the public affairs office and community leaders traveled to these locations and welcomed personnel to make the move to Fort Knox. This opened up communication for incoming organizations and created a strong bond between the post staff and the community leaders.
Aca,!A"We loved taking part in the Fort Knox Road Shows,Aca,!A? said Jo Emary, executive director of the Radcliff/Hardin County Chamber of Commerce. Aca,!A"We enjoyed meeting people we hope will soon become our new neighbors and sharing with them all the great things our region has to offer.Aca,!A?
Emary and many other community leaders from the region surrounding Fort Knox have also hosted tour groups of employees trying to make a decision whether or not to relocate when their job moves to Fort Knox.
In addition to their participation in the road shows and hosting tours, the communities surrounding Fort Knox have been actively working to make sure they are prepared for the arrival of the approximately 13,000 new Soldiers, civilian employees, contractors and their families.
Aca,!A"A population increase of that size is sure to place increased demands on local road networks, schools, basic services and infrastructure,Aca,!A? said Sheila Enyart, mayor of the neighboring city of Radcliff, Ky. Aca,!A"We want to continue to offer a great quality of life for anyone who calls our region home, especially our friends and neighbors at Fort Knox.
Enyart also serves as chair of the One Knox Policy Council (www.oneknox.com), formed by community leaders soon after the 2005 BRAC announcement. This nine-county regional planning organization coordinates BRAC-related activities that occur outside the gate.
Identifying the needs and working closely with state and federal officials, the region has successfully secured hundreds of millions of dollars in funding for workforce training, road construction, infrastructure improvements and other requirements the BRAC-related growth demands.
Aca,!A"Simply stated, we want to make this the most successful BRAC move ever. That means working as a team setting and managing the conditions for the smoothest possible transition for the new workforce and their families, as well as helping the displaced workers from the out-going Armor School,Aca,!A? said Brad Richardson, executive director of One Knox.
Aca,!"Maureen Rose/Fort Knox Public Affairs
Fort Sill, Okla.
The move of the U.S. Army Air Defense Artillery School from Fort Bliss, Texas, to Fort Sill, and the construction of the new ADA complex here are well underway and on schedule, said Fort Sill officials.
The USAADASCH will conduct its first class at Fort Sill in early August when about 80 servicemembers attend the CaptainAca,!a,,cs Career Course, said Lt. Col. Artice Scott, chief of the BRAC Reintegration and Integration Cell. About four more courses will also begin during fiscal year 2009. Eventually, 18 courses will be offered by 2011, the deadline set by BRAC authorities.
Aca,!A"Everything is moving along great. WeAca,!a,,cve had no show-stoppers,Aca,!A? said Scott, whose BRIC is responsible for the transition of the ADA element from Texas to Oklahoma.
Since July 2008, the five BRIC staff members, along with about 35 augmentees who are mostly from Fort Bliss, have been working to ensure that the USAADASCH will be ready to begin courses the first week of August.
Aca,!A"WeAca,!a,,cre making sure that all the processes, systems, i.e., instructors, equipment and all those types of items are available and ready to go,Aca,!A? said Scott, who is an ADA officer.
Construction of the new USAADASCH and ADA complex began in August 2007. The first new structure, a dining facility, will open in the spring, said Randall Butler, Fort Sill director of Public Works.
Aca,!A"We are making great progress in the construction and a lot of our projects are ahead of schedule,Aca,!A? Scott said.
Eighteen new buildings will be built as part of the USAADASCH in the $215 million project.
New buildings include facilities designed specifically to teach curriculums for the Patriot missile system; Stinger/Avenger weapons systems; and command, control, communications, computers and intelligence studies. Other facilities include a noncommissioned officer academy and four barracks.
Aca,!A"Starting in February through August, we are going to have a good chunk of these facilities come online,Aca,!A? Butler said.
Another 10 buildings that are part of the ADA complex are being renovated, Butler said. BRAC renovations have been completed in the five buildings, which will house 6th ADA Brigade Headquarters and its three battalionsAca,!a,,c headquarters, he said. Some sustainment, restoration and modernization work is still being done on those buildings and will be completed soon.
Knox, McNair and Taylor halls are also getting upgrades because they will eventually accommodate staff from the USAADASCH, Butler said.
Aca,!"Jeff Crawley/Aca,!A"The CannoneerAca,!A? newspaper, Fort Sill
Fort Lee, Va.
Fort Lee has checked off the first and arguably most significant project of its massive $1.7 billion BRAC plan.
The Sustainment CoE headquarters building was completed in late December 2008 after 18 months of construction.
It was finished on time, at budget and is the first of more than 30 new structures to be built at Fort Lee under the 2005 BRAC implementation plan.
Maj. Gen. James E. Chamber, U.S. Army Combined Arms Support Command and Fort Lee commanding general, said the four-story, 218,579-square-foot facility with its energy-efficient blue windows is only the physical embodiment of the SCoE. But what goes on inside the building and at the various subordinate elements under its command umbrella is whatAca,!a,,cs most important.
Aca,!A"The SCoE creates a combat service support training center unlike any before,Aca,!A? said Chambers, Aca,!A"and will provide the best possible training to the sustainers of our Army and all of our sister services.Aca,!A?
SCoE will house CASCOM, a multi-functional organization overseeing all combat developments and training in logistics, human resources and finance for the Army. A consolidation of logistics centers and schools
from several installations will occur within the next couple of years.
This will include the U.S. Army Transportation Center and School from Fort Eustis; the U.S. Army Ordnance Mechanical Maintenance School from Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md.; and the U.S. Army Ordnance Munitions and Electronics Maintenance School from Redstone Arsenal, Ala. These schools will join the U.S. Army Quartermaster Center and School and the U.S. Army Logistics Management College, both already located on Fort Lee.
One other institution integral to CASCOM, the U.S. Army Soldier Support Institute, located at Fort Jackson, S.C., will remain at that location.
The SCoE has been called the Aca,!A"lifeblood of Army logistics,Aca,!A? as it transforms into the third largest training installation in the Army, surpassed only by Fort Jackson, S.C., and Fort Benning, Ga.
It will bring thousands of military and civilian personnel to Fort Lee annually to attend the various logistics schools. In the end, 185 different courses will be taught here and no combat service support school will teach more military occupational specialties.
The SCoE will become the command center for all of the instruction that takes place at Fort Lee. It will house the headquarters elements of each of the schools, with the exception of ALMC.
ALMC, which will become the Logistics University, is currently in the midst of large-scale construction on the other side of post. It will house the noncommissioned officer academies of each school and focus on multi-functional logistics instruction, especially for officers.
Aca,!"T. Anthony Bell/Aca,!A"Fort Lee TravellerAca,!A?
Rock Island Arsenal, Ill.
Aca,!A"Make no mistake, First Army will do everything we can to take care of our staff right here in this room as we move, but we will move.Aca,!A?
With those words, First Army commanding general, Lt. Gen. Thomas G. Miller, confirmed to the headquarters staff that First Army will move from Fort Gillem, Ga., to Rock Island Arsenal, Ill., in 2011.
With First Army knee-deep in transformation, and with tens of thousands of Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and coalition forces completing First Army post-mobilization training each year for the foreseeable future, some may wonder how the headquarters will be able to meet its mission and complete its move to RIA.
Aca,!A"Seamlessly,Aca,!A? said Brig. Gen. Richard R. McPhee, deputy commanding general, First Army.
Aca,!A"Moving the headquarters will not affect First ArmyAca,!a,,cs primary mission of post-mobilization training,Aca,!A? McPhee said. Aca,!A"First Army will continue to train, mobilize and deploy troops throughout the BRAC process, while simultaneously taking care of our Headquarters workforce to the absolute best of our ability.
Aca,!A"And the reason weAca,!a,,cll be able to do that is because we have two very competent and qualified divisions at Fort Meade and Fort Carson,Aca,!A? he said.
First Army Division East (Fort Meade) and Division West (Fort Carson) command 16 training brigades; 10 brigades east of the Mississippi for Division East, and six brigades west of the Mississippi for Division West. The divisions ensure the brigades have all the necessary personnel and equipment to conduct tough, realistic, theater-specific post-mobilization training at each of 10 mobilization training centers throughout the United States. In fiscal year 2008, First Army mobilized more than 85,000 troops for service in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo and Guantanamo.
Aca,!A"ItAca,!a,,cs not like BRAC has snuck up on us,Aca,!A? McPhee said. Aca,!A"WeAca,!a,,cve been preparing for the move since Fort Gillem was put on the list in 2005. We already have a building identified at Rock Island where renovations will begin later this year, and weAca,!a,,cve sent advance teams there to start building relationships with the garrison staff, the other commands located there, and to meet officials from the Quad Cities (comprised of Davenport and Bettendorf, Iowa; and Rock Island and Moline, Ill.).
Aca,!A"But, the bottom line for First Army Headquarters is that our training brigades will continue to train our nationAca,!a,,cs citizen-Soldiers to fight and win on the battlefield and return home safely to their families. Our divisions will continue to ensure that the training brigades have everything they need to train those Soldiers to standard. And our great Soldiers and Army civilians at the headquarters will continue to do the hard work of ensuring the divisions have the necessary resourcesAca,!"dollars and peopleAca,!"to do their job regardless of whether weAca,!a,,cre in Atlanta or Rock Island.Aca,!A?
McPhee, realizing the wealth of institutional knowledge possessed by the headquarters civilian workforce, wants all DA civilians to stay with First Army and make the move to RIA.
Aca,!A"We highly encourage all of our civilians to stay with the headquarters and join us at Rock Island Arsenal,Aca,!A? McPhee said. Aca,!A"Every one of our employees will be given the opportunity to join us at Rock Island Arsenal. TheyAca,!a,,cll be entitled to all the benefits covered in the Defense National Relocation Program administered by the Corps of Engineers, which include helping the employee sell their existing home and even buying their home after a certain period of time if it fails to sell. With the current economy, being guaranteed your job and that youAca,!a,,cll be able to sell your house is hard to beat. But, itAca,!a,,cs a personal decision the individual has to make, and weAca,!a,,cll do everything to help that person whether they relocate to Rock Island Arsenal, transfer to a different government agency or simply retire from civil service.Aca,!A?
On June 15, 2011, First Army will be fully operational at Rock Island Arsenal. With early planning, teamwork and a shared sense of responsibility for its citizen-Soldiers, First Army HeadquartersAca,!"its divisions and brigadesAca,!"will execute its mission, transform itself into a more efficient, effective organization, and still seamlessly relocate its headquarters 800 miles north to Rock Island Arsenal, Ill.
Aca,!"Phil Manson/First Army Public Affairs Office
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