FORT LEE, Va. - Any significant personnel cuts at Fort Lee would have a far more devastating impact on Virginia and the Tri-Cities Area than anyone in the Department of Defense or the nation's capital realizes.
That was the consensus of the featured speakers at a Jan. 8 Community Listening Session here in a packed Army Logistics University multipurpose room. More than 20 government and community representatives - including Virginia House of Delegates majority leader Del. Kirk Cox and newly elected Sen. Rosalyn Dance, 16th district - argued against troop reductions at Fort Lee as the Army shrinks its post-war ranks from 562,000 to as few as 420,000 by 2020.
A U.S. Army Environmental Command report released in June determined there would be socioeconomic impacts to many communities surrounding Army installations potentially facing personnel reductions if additional sequestration funding levels go into effect Oct. 1. Fort Lee was assessed on a loss of up to 3,600 Soldiers and civilians; 879 of which already occurred with the realignment of units and personnel associated with the now-inactivated 49th Quartermaster Group.
Setting the stage for the listening session, Col. Karl Konzelman, chief of the Army G-3/5/7 Force Management Division, assured the 150-member audience that everything presented at the meeting would be "taken very seriously." He said his role is to listen and take the facts and figures back to senior Army leaders to help them make force structure decisions.
"Let me reiterate that sequestration is currently the law of the land," he said. "We're not doing high-fives at the Pentagon saying, 'hooray we're going (to cut the force by another 70,000 Soldiers).' The Secretary of the Army and the Chief of Staff of the Army have been very clear in public comment and congressional testimony that they believe the force (strength) should stay at about 490,000. So that's the battle we're facing."
Konzelman presented a brief overview of the force reduction decision process - and how it is being complicated by sequestration's $95 billion cut in funding over the next 10 years - before opening the floor to the guest presenters.
First to speak was Del. Cox who said the commonwealth is facing a $2.4 billion budget deficit, also due in large part to sequestration, but it continues to lead the nation in the creation of support programs for Soldiers and veterans. "We want you to know that Virginia puts the military first because they have been such a boon to our economy," Cox said.
"(Furthermore,) in the general assembly, a lot of the members are former military (24 percent of the 140 representatives)," he continued. "Twenty percent have post-9/11 service as late as 2010. Several are retired military officers. Therefore, I can say with confidence we have a solid understanding of the challenges of military life and work in many ways to make the services provided in Virginia more military friendly."
He then highlighted several initiatives like the bipartisan military veteran's caucus that meets every week to discuss new ideas for policies and programs that will benefit service-affiliated personnel. The state has opened in-state college tuition opportunities to Soldiers. It was among the first to adopt an interstate education compact that allows military children to receive credit for the courses they took in other parts of the world. The first Troops-to-Trucks program started here, opening an opportunity for military members to earn a commercial drivers license that makes them more marketable in the civilian job market.
"I could go on with countless other examples of solid efforts to embrace our military men and women, but I believe I have made it clear that Virginia's dedicated support of its military should be considered in any force (realignment) discussions."
Sen. Dance, the next speaker, grew up in the Petersburg area and has personally witnessed the social and economic impact of Fort Lee. Recalling shared Christmas celebrations and Fourth at the Fort festivities on post, she said, "This installation is part of our history and this region's legacy. You will not find a better community relationship than ours anywhere in the Army."
Fort Lee contributes one-eighth of the region's total income, the senator also noted. The direct correlation between the installation's personnel strength - both permanent party and transient - and the procurement of goods and services in the surrounding communities makes any discussion of force reductions painful.
"It's (overwhelming) to think about not having that (financial security)," Dance said. "Even in economic downtimes, Fort Lee has served as that finger in the dike to ensure our economy is somewhat stable and we're able to maintain the opportunities that keep our communities going.
"So tonight, you (the Army force management representatives) are going to hear the same thing from many of our community leaders around the region," Dance concluded. "It should make it harder for you to not realize the importance of maintaining the (force stability) of this command that takes care of Soldiers around the world."
Among the other guest speakers was John Wood, chairman of the Crater Planning District Commission, who heavily referenced the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure decision in his remarks.
"(When that announcement was made), the surrounding localities worked with Fort Lee officials to prioritize a variety of transportation upgrades in order to provide improved access to the five installation gates," Wood said. "Over $30 million was secured for construction at no expense to the military. These localities deferred priority transportation projects for five years to ensure the road improvements were completed in a timely manner to meet the 2005 BRAC requirements."
Another $3.4 million has been earmarked for additional fixes in the Lee Avenue Gate area and the intersection of Route 36 and Puddledock Road, again at no expense to the military, Wood noted. "While (they) are happy to do so, the reordering of local priorities for the benefit of the military mission is at the expense of the surrounding communities and their constituents."
In addition, Wood continued, Prince George County - where Fort Lee is located - built a new elementary school to accommodate the increased student load from military families. The cost to do so was at the expense of other worthy projects.
"At the end of the day, it is about this region's collective solid support for Fort Lee Soldiers and their families," Wood said. "The citizens of this region get it. They fully understand the importance of what our Soldiers do on a daily basis at Fort Lee, and they are opposed to any type of force reduction."
Acknowledging the large turnout for the listening session, Maj. Gen. Stephen Lyons, Combined Arms Support Command and Fort Lee commanding general, said it's encouraging to witness the "unwavering show of support" from local communities.
"I think it speaks volumes about the relationship Fort Lee has with the local community," he added.
"And it's really interesting to consider where we were 10 years ago when the discussion was, 'Are we going to keep the doors of Fort Lee open?' ... and what followed after that with the whole BRAC growth and the multi-billion-dollar investment in (military construction projects) and the increase in jobs for Soldiers and civilians," Lyons said.
"It has been quite a journey that occurred on your watch, not mine. That makes this your installation as much as the Army's. And it really reflects the spirit of our relationship - because we too are completely vested in the local communities where we live and where our kids grow up, play sports and go to school. So, it's really important that we have this level of exchange and this level of dialogue."
Lyons also emphasized the uncertainty of the proposed force reductions, and the need for community input and careful analysis to ensure the right decisions are made.
"I think personally and professionally it would be a disaster if we just march straight into sequestration without careful study. That's not where anybody really wants to go ... every senior official I've ever talked to doesn't think that's a good idea," Lyons said.
"However, we have to accept the fact that it's currently the law of the land, so we need to have this discussion so we're moving forward with eyes wide open. That's really the purpose of this evening. It's just one step in the process so we're making the right decisions along the way."
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