Planning postures 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley to weather fiscal storm

By Mollie Miller, 1st Infantry Division Public AffairsMarch 8, 2013

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1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Fort Riley Senior Commander Brig. Gen. Donald MacWillie addresses members of the Kansas media during a gathering March 6 at 1st Infantry Division headquarters. MacWillie was joined by Fort Riley Garrison Commander Col. Bill Clark and Irwin Army Commu... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
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2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Fort Riley Senior Commander Brig. Gen. Donald MacWillie addresses members of the Kansas media during a gathering March 6 at 1st Infantry Division headquarters. MacWillie was joined by Fort Riley Garrison Commander Col. Bill Clark and Irwin Army Commu... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT RILEY, Kan. -- More than a year of planning and education have put Fort Riley and the 1st Infantry Division in a good position to weather the fiscal storm that is battering units and installations around the Army, Big Red One leaders said March 8.

Fort Riley Senior Commander Brig. Gen. Donald MacWillie told reporters gathered at 1st Infantry Division Headquarters that officials began an active campaign to plan for a new fiscal environment when it became very clear more than a year ago that Army budgets would be changing.

"We took it upon ourselves on this post to educate and to relearn the fundamentals of how to manage our training, identify our requirements and resources … and see ourselves better," he said. "When the initial decrements came, we were able to do what we needed to do to absorb the changes."

MacWillie said fiscal changes that have come with adjusted budgets and sequestration have had an impact but that impact has not been nearly as great as it could have been had the division not spent the past year preparing for a new financial environment.

"I am incredibly proud of what we did," he said. "We saw this coming, we trained for it, we worked on it and we are taking prudent measures to ensure our force remains strong even in an environment of fiscal uncertainty."

Although the impacts have been minimized, changes associated with the financial decrements are still evident throughout the formation. MacWillie said budget adjustments have and will continue to affect training, the local work force and future contracts.

Garrison Commander Col. William Clark said that although his budget to maintain Fort Riley's infrastructure is about 55 percent less than expected, the post remains in a good position to meet future needs thanks to the planning and preparation that has been done during the past several years.

"Fort Riley is postured very well for the future," he said. "Since 2006, the post has had $1.6 billion in infrastructure development. Even though we will have some challenges here, the infrastructure, the services and programs that take care of our servicemembers, our Families, our retirees and our civilian team is in place as we go forward."

Irwin Army Community Hospital Commander Col. Barry Pockrandt added that the Army has been very good to his team for the past several years and, like the garrison, the hospital is in a good position to meet the future needs of the Fort Riley community.

"There is room for us to improve our efficiencies … and become better stewards of the resources we already have … and we have plenty of room to make up the budget decrements," Pockrandt said.

MacWillie discussed some changes that the Fort Riley community may see as a result of the budget adjustments. The senior commander said live training on post will be prioritized and Soldiers will be taking advantage of the state-of-the-art simulators Fort Riley has been investing in for years. He added that there will be changes to the civilian work force but noted no decisions have been made with regard to an administrative furlough that has the potential to touch 2,700 Fort Riley employees.

MacWillie anticipates that if a furlough decision is made, it will be made by the end of March.

"We have to be able to give our employees a 30 day notice of furlough so this isn't something that is going to happen overnight," Clark said.

MacWillie, Clark and Pockrandt have all conducted town hall meetings with their civilian employees about the furlough possibility in effort to maintain total transparency going forward.

"No, they are not happy, who would be, but we are a team and we will get though this together," MacWillie said.

Leaders were reluctant to speculate on any future financial changes but each promised transparency and assured the media that no change will deter Fort Riley or the 1st Infantry Division from their primary mission of caring for Soldiers and Family members.

"Our commitment to ready and resilient Soldiers is unwavering," MacWillie said. "Nothing will deter us from this mission. We will remain a successful and a vital piece of our nation's defense."

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