00                      HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 36                                                                     
01 Urging the President of the United States, the United States Secretary of Defense, and                                  
02 the United States Congress to recognize the vital importance that Joint Base Elmendorf-                                 
03 Richardson plays in national security, to protect the military bases located in the state,                              
04 and to maintain base operations in the state at current levels.                                                         
05 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
06       WHEREAS Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson is an important military installation on                                
07 the front line of our nation's defense; and                                                                             
08       WHEREAS Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson is an important part of the Anchorage                                   
09 community, hosting approximately 13,000 Arctic warriors, approximately 20,000 family                                    
10 members, and more than 3,000 civilian employees; and                                                                    
11       WHEREAS Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson covers 84,530 acres; and                                                
12       WHEREAS members of the United States Army stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf-                                  
13 Richardson are at the forefront of protecting the nation's interest in the volatile regions of the                      
14 Asian Pacific and provide ready and relevant forces to overseas contingency operations; and                             
15       WHEREAS Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, as the largest military installation in                                

01 the state, is home to the Alaskan Command, the Alaska North American Aerospace Defense                                  
02 Command (NORAD) Region, the 11th Air Force Third Wing, the United States Army Alaska                                    
03 headquarters, the Fourth Brigade Combat Team's 25th Infantry Division, the Third Maneuver                               
04 Enhancement Brigade, the 477th Fighter Group, the Alaska Army National Guard, the Alaska                                
05 Air National Guard, and more than 60 other organizations; and                                                           
06       WHEREAS the Alaska NORAD Region safeguards the air sovereignty of North                                         
07 America, responds to all air sovereignty threats, trains to meet all response options on a no-                          
08 notice basis, maintains infrastructure to support the air defense mission, and integrates space                         
09 and new technologies to support those missions; and                                                                     
10       WHEREAS the 11th Air Force provides mission-ready and deployable forces,                                        
11 provides secure and efficient air base operations, improves the premier joint training                                  
12 environment of the state, and modernizes Air Force facilities and support; and                                          
13       WHEREAS Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson is home to the Alaskan Command, an                                      
14 organization that integrates military activities in the state, maximizes readiness, and supports                        
15 worldwide contingency force deployments; and                                                                            
16       WHEREAS the Joint Task Force Alaska, an organization that deters, prevents, and                                 
17 defeats terrorist threats within the Alaska Joint Operations Area and that executes Defense                             
18 Support of Civil Authorities is located at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson; and                                         
19       WHEREAS the United States Department of Defense, on commencing the Base                                         
20 Realignment and Closure process, will consider the relative value of maintaining domestic                               
21 military bases that provide international accessibility and highly valuable geographically                              
22 diverse training areas for all branches of the military;                                                                
23       BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges the President of the                                     
24 United States, the United States Secretary of Defense, and the United States Congress to                                
25 recognize the vital importance that Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson plays in our national                               
26 security, to protect the military bases located in the state, and to maintain base operations in                        
27 the state at current levels.                                                                                            
28       COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Barack Obama, President of                             
29 the United States; the Honorable Leon E. Panetta, United States Secretary of Defense; and the                           
30 Honorable Lisa Murkowski and the Honorable Mark Begich, U.S. Senators, and the                                          
31 Honorable Don Young, U.S. Representative, members of the Alaska delegation in Congress.