00                       SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 27                                                                    
01 Relating to an Alaska National Guard Armory in Juneau.                                                                  
02 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
03       WHEREAS the Alaska National Guard has maintained armories across the state of                                   
04 Alaska since 1959; and                                                                                                  
05       WHEREAS the Alaska National Guard protects the people and infrastructure of our                                 
06 state, with 84 armories and readiness centers that provide rapid access to all areas of the state;                      
07 and                                                                                                                     
08       WHEREAS the steep mountains, deep waters, open oceans, and inland channels of                                   
09 the southeast area of Alaska create a challenging environment for emergency management,                                 
10 making it essential that emergency workers understand the climate, culture, and coordinates                             
11 of the area; and                                                                                                        
12       WHEREAS the persons serving in the Alaska National Guard in the southeast area of                               
13 Alaska are neighbors, coworkers, and friends who dedicate many hours of their busy lives to                             
14 perfecting their military and emergency readiness skills; and                                                           
15       WHEREAS Juneau was the first Alaska city to have a National Guard unit, and the                                 
16 Alaska National Guard's main armory in the southeast area of Alaska has been located in                                 
01 Juneau since the current armory was constructed in 1960; and                                                            
02       WHEREAS the Alaska National Guard armory in Juneau provides the only battalion                                  
03 headquarters for all of the southeast area of Alaska; and                                                               
04       WHEREAS having a Juneau armory greatly improves the Alaska National Guard's                                     
05 ability to recruit and retain personnel in the state's third largest and capital city; and                              
06       WHEREAS the Alaska National Guard armory in Juneau is now located on property                                   
07 owned by the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority, and the City and Borough of Juneau and                               
08 the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority have worked together to provide a new site for a                               
09 National Guard readiness center; and                                                                                    
10       WHEREAS the National Guard is also considering constructing a joint facility with                               
11 the University of Alaska Southeast, and the facility would improve the capacity of both the                             
12 Alaska National Guard and the University of Alaska Southeast to fulfill their missions in a                             
13 manner that is cost-efficient for both;                                                                                 
14       BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature supports building a new Alaska                                 
15 National Guard Armory in Juneau and calls on the National Guard Bureau to make the project                              
16 a high priority; and be it                                                                                              
17       FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature calls on the United States                                   
18 Congress to make appropriations to fund a new armory in Juneau, in keeping with the national                            
19 interest.                                                                                                               
20       COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Donald Rumsfeld, United                                
21 States Secretary of Defense; General Eric K. Shinseki, U.S. Army Chief of Staff; Lieutenant                             
22 General Russell C. Davis, Chief, National Guard Bureau; Major General Roger C. Schultz,                                 
23 Director, Army National Guard; and to the Honorable Ted Stevens and the Honorable Frank                                 
24 Murkowski, U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Don Young, U.S. Representative, members of                                  
25 the Alaska delegation in Congress.