Fort Riley leaders urge public to speak up on potential sequestration impact

By Amanda Kim Stairrett and Staff Sgt. Jerry GriffisFebruary 7, 2015

Senior mission commander urges public to speak up for Fort Riley
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Senior mission commander urges public to speak up for Fort Riley
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FORT RILEY, Kan. (Feb. 5, 2015) -- Army officials are in the process of cutting troop numbers from 570,000 to 490,000 and because policymakers in Washington have not eliminated sequestration, the organization is facing even more severe changes. Those cuts could affect the 1st Infantry Division and Fort Riley.

This is the message Brig. Gen. Eric J. Wesley, 1st Infantry Division, and Fort Riley senior mission commander, conveyed to hundreds of Flint Hills community members during the 2015 Regional Leaders Retreat in Overland Park, Kansas, Jan. 16, and at the Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce's Military Relations Committee luncheon in Manhattan, Kansas, Feb. 4.

It is a message he and other post leaders, including Col. Andrew Cole, Fort Riley garrison commander, continue to spread to those throughout the state of Kansas.

Members of the civilian community will have an opportunity to affect Army leaders' decisions on those cuts and Fort Riley's future during a town hall-like U.S. Army Community Listening Session at 3:30 p.m. Feb. 9 at the Geary County Convention Center in Junction City, Kansas.

"The purpose of the session is to facilitate dialogue and exchange information - and capture the community's perspective -- on the fiscal impact of reducing Army manpower here," according to information released from the post.

Fort Riley is one of 30 Army installations throughout the United States facing possible reductions - as many as 16,000 - mandated by the Budget Control Act of 2011. The Feb. 9 listening session is the next phase of the Army's Force Structure and Stationing Decision process. Army officials from Washington, D.C., including Brig. Gen. Roger Cloutier Jr., director of force management with the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, are scheduled to attend.

The listening session is open to the public and citizens from all communities surrounding Fort Riley are encouraged to attend to show support for the installation and share interests about potential cuts to units. Those planning to attend are asked to arrive early so the event can begin promptly, Fort Riley officials said.

Wesley spoke Feb. 4 of how Fort Riley is intertwined with the local communities.

"I am a 'Big Red One' Soldier, but I am also a member of this community," Wesley said. "This listening session has to do with the future - to some degree, the 1st Division - but most importantly, Fort Riley and this local community, which we are all a part."

Wesley also discussed the importance of a possible decision by the Army to eliminate a division-level post as part of its budget process.

"Any scenario where we consider moving a division-level post from the Army puts Fort Riley, Kansas, and our community at risk," Wesley told the Manhattan crowd. "The question at hand is the most important strategic question facing the state of Kansas in the next five to 10 years."

Wesley said news of the listening session led to discussions with Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback, Kansas lawmakers and even members of Congress and the House of Representatives, some of whom are scheduled to attend the event.

"You need to know that the leadership of this division, many whom you see around this room, absolutely cares about the destiny of this community because we know that this community cares about the destiny of our Soldiers based on the way you have invested in them," Wesley said.

During his Jan. 16 appearance in Overland Park, Wesley underscored the seriousness of the matter, saying that, in prior reductions, the division lost the 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team at Fort Knox, Kentucky, which inactivated in the summer; the 4th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri; and the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team at Fort Riley, which is set to inactivate this summer. That decision resulted in an overall loss to Fort Riley of more than 800 Soldiers for the division.

Because sequestration is still looming, Army officials are coming back through a second time to see where they can make further cuts, Wesley said. Further cuts means the total force could go down even more to 450,000 or 420,000, he said.

The community has the opportunity to communicate with the Army, Wesley said. If officials and citizens don't put everything into showing the Army why Fort Riley helps the Army meet its mission today and in the future, it has the potential to devastate the region and community, he said.

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