Legislature(1999 - 2000)
09/28/2000 01:30 PM House ASC
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
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+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
Alaska State Legislature
JOINT ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE
September 28, 2000
1:30 p.m.
SENATE MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator Tim Kelly, Co-Chair
Senator Drue Pearce
Senator Gary Wilken
Senator Pete Kelly
Senator Loren Leman
HOUSE MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Eldon Mulder, Co-Chair
Representative Lisa Murkowski
Representative Gene Therriault
Representative John Harris
PUBLIC MEMBERS PRESENT
Jake Lestenkof
Dean Owen
George Vakalis
Alan Walker
Chick Wallace
OTHERS PRESENT
Representative Jeannette James
Representative John Coghill
Janice Nielson, U.S Army Pacific Legislative Liaison
Lance Herrington, U.S. Army Alaska
Dennis DeWitt, Legislative Staff
Kara Moriarty. Legislative Staff
Danielle Serino, Legislative Staff
Kris Knauss, Legislative Staff
Chris Nelson, Staff Director, JASC
ACTION NARRATIVE
CO-CHAIR TIM KELLY called the Joint Armed Services Committee
(JASC) to order at 1:55 p.m. at Miners Hall, the River's Edge
Resort, Fairbanks, Alaska. He asked JASC Staff Director Chris
Nelson to call the roll. Committee members present were Co-
Chairs Tim Kelly and Eldon Mulder, Senator Drue Pearce, Senator
Gary Wilken, Senator Pete Kelly, Senator Loren Leman,
Representative Lisa Murkowski, Representative Gene Therriault,
Representative John Harris, Jake Lestenkof George Vakalis, Dean
Owen, Alan Walker, and Chick Wallace.
CO-CHAIR KELLY declared that a quorum was present and noted that
also in attendance were Representatives Jeannette James and John
Coghill; Janice Nielsen, U.S. Army Pacific Legislative Liaison;
Lance Herrington, U.S. Army, Alaska; and Legislative Staff
Members Dennis DeWitt, Kara Moriarty, Danielle Serino, and Kris
Knauss.
SENATOR LOREN LEMAN moved to approve the minutes of the June 5,
2000 meeting. There being no objection, the minutes were
approved.
CO-CHAIR ELDON MULDER explained that this quarterly meeting of
the JASC was being held in Fairbanks to focus on the activities
of U.S. Army Alaska (USARAK) and stated that Major General James
Lovelace, the new USARAK Commanding General, would personally
brief the JASC on Army Transition immediately after the
adjournment of the meeting. He also noted that a tour of Fort
Wainwright and demonstration of Army training would be held
tomorrow, September 29, for JASC members and legislative staff.
CO-CHAIR KELLY asked Mr. Nelson to report on the committee's
activities since the last meeting.
CHRIS NELSON stated that JASC members had participated in two
national conferences on military issues affecting Alaska during
the summer.
MR. NELSON reported that he and DEAN OWEN had represented the
JASC at the Missile Defense Symposium sponsored by the
Association of the United States Army (AUSA) in Long Beach,
California, on June 8-9, 2000. He noted that Major General
Philip Oates, The Adjutant General of Alaska, and Colonel Scott
Marcy, Regular Army Advisor to the Alaska Army National Guard,
also attended the meeting. He stated that panel presentations
focused on the requirement for all the Armed Services to develop
defenses against the proliferation of tactical and strategic
ballistic missiles and emphasized the importance of a National
Missile Defense system anchored by ground-based interceptors in
Alaska. Mr. Nelson noted that Alaskans took advantage of the
opportunity to speak directly with the ranking leaders of the
Ballistic Missile Defense Organization (BMDO) and the U.S. Army
Space and Missile Defense Command (USASMDC) on Alaska issues.
They learned that Fort Greely is the preferred site for the
ground based interceptors and that USASMDC is interested in
acquiring the Fort Greely cantonment area and the adjacent
proposed interceptor site to operate as a National Missile
Defense installation. That command had no desire, however, to
take over the entire Fort Greely range complex.
MR. NELSON said that SENATOR TIM KELLY, REPRESENTATIVE MULDER,
REPRESENTATIVE MURKOWSKI, MR. LESTENKOF, MR. VAKALIS, MR.
WALKER, and MR. DEWITT had joined him in attending the annual
conference of the National Association of Installation
Developers (NAID) in Monterey, California, from August 5-8,
2000. He explained that NAID focused on reuse issues and brought
together community officials from areas which bad undergone
military base closures and developers interested in reusing
those facilities. NAID is also increasing its emphasis on the
privatization of installation operations on active military
bases. He noted the focus of the Monterey meeting was on the
reuse of Fort Ord, which bad been closed by the Base Realignment
and Closure Commission (BRAC) in 1991. Mr. Nelson stated that an
interesting feature of Fort Ord's conversion to civilian use was
the establishment of three separate Local Reuse Authorities
(LRAs) to manage different areas of the transition. The
Department of Defense gave both the University of California
(UC), which established a research facility, and the California
State University (CSU), which established a residential
undergraduate campus, LEA status. The Fort Ord Reuse Authority
(FORA), consisting of the city and county governments adjacent
to the base serve as the LRA for the remaining property.
MR. NELSON suggested that members of the JASC participate in two
upcoming meetings sponsored by the Association of the United
States Army (AUSA). He said that the AUSA Annual Meeting in
Washington, D.C. on October 14-18 would focus on Army Transition
and major land power issues as well as missile defense. He
stated that AUSA's Space and Missile Defense Symposium in El
Paso, Texas on December 5-7 would be especially important for
Alaskans. Mr. Nelson noted that materials on these meetings had
been placed in members' agenda packages.
CO-CHAIR KELLY asked that JASC members interested in attending
those conferences contact Mr. Nelson. He then asked Mr. Nelson
to update the committee on Alaska military issues.
MR. NELSON said that since the committee's last meeting, there
had been major developments in National Missile Defense and the
reuse of the two Alaska bases impacted by 1995 BRAC actions.
He explained that President Clinton had announced on September 1
that he would postpone the deployment decision on National
Missile Defense to allow for further tests of the system and
enable his successor to make the decision. Mr. Nelson observed
that this delay was not unexpected because the last two tests
had suffered mishaps and failed to achieve intercepts. He noted
that the Secretary of Defense had recommended that the system be
deployed and that construction be authorized for the X-Band
radar site on Shemya and the ground-based interceptor site at
Fort Greely. Construction at these two sites will now not begin
until authorized by the new President.
MR. NELSON related that he had held conversations with both
military and missile industry officials who expressed confidence
that the new President, regardless of who wins the election in
November, would move forward with a National Missile Defense
system centered around ground-based interceptors in Alaska. He
also invited members to review a letter in their agenda packages
from Mr. Mead Treadwell, Managing Director of the Institute of
the North, which analyzed NMD developments and outlined options
for both Alaskan and national decision makers.
MR. NELSON stated that progress toward civilian reuse was being
made at both Fort Greely and Adak.
He noted that the land transfer agreement between the Department
of the Interior and the Aleut Corporation had been completed.
The Adak Reuse Corporation, which serves as the LRA for Adak,
has received a $3 million grant to fund its operations and is
preparing to take over operations of the base. It is awaiting a
decision from the state's Local Boundary Commission on its
application to incorporate the island as a Second Class City and
is also seeking approval from the Regulatory Commission of
Alaska on several of its proposals to facilitate economic
development at the former Naval Air Facility. The LRA is
currently negotiating with a fish processing company and a fiber
optic company to locate their activities on Adak and the Air
Force is installing improvements at Adak's airfield to continue
its use as an emergency diversion site in the North Pacific.
MR. NELSON asked REPRESENTATIVE JOHN HARRIS to update the
committee on reuse activities at Fort Greely.
REPRESENTATIVE HARRIS reported that the City of Delta, the LRA
for Fort Greely, had been granted an extension of the deadline
to submit its application for an Economic Development Conveyance
(EDC). The city can now proceed with the application process
while awaiting a decision on deployment of the NMD system.
CO-CHAIR KELLY thanked Mr. Nelson and Representative Harris for
their reports and noted that at its last meeting, the committee
members had been invited to propose appointments to its Citizens
Advisory Board at this meeting. He recommended the appointment
of the following individuals:
-Mitch Abood, retired Commanding General of the State
Defense Force
-Mead Treadwell, Managing Director, Institute of the North
-Lance Herrington, former BRAC Coordinator, USARAK
-Chris Gates, Project Manager, Adak Reuse Corporation
CO-CHAIR KELLY noted that JOHN HOYT had proposed three
individuals for membership on the Citizens Advisory Board and
recommended their appointment. They are:
-Tom Morgan, Executive Director, Anchorage Armed Services
YMCA
-Dennis Metrokin, President, Koniag Corporation
-Colonel (RET) Roger T. Schnell
CO-CHAIR KELLY moved that the appointment of these individuals
be approved. CO-CHAIR MULDER seconded. The appointments were
approved unanimously.
CO-CHAIR KELLY explained that Mr. Hoyt was absent due to severe
illness and asked MR. JAKE LESTENKOF to updated the committee on
his condition.
MR. LESTENKOF said that Mr. Hoyt has been hospitalized in the
Intensive Care Unit of Alaska Regional Hospital in Anchorage for
over three weeks and had been near death twice. He fell ill with
a condition that causes muscles to involuntarily contract
following his return from a visit with his brother in Africa.
CO-CHAIR MULDER expressed the committee's concern at Mr. Hoyt's
condition and noted his effective work as one of its civilian
members. He then asked if the members had new business to come
before the committee.
CO-CHAIR KELLY stated that be had heard that a contract for
private housing at Elmendorf Air Force Base had been cancelled
and asked Mr. Nelson to comment.
MR NELSON replied that be had been told by Alaska Command
(ALCOM) that the contract had not yet been awarded and that
contractor proposals were still under evaluation.
CO-CHAIR MULDER asked Mr. Dewitt to update the committee on the
progress on accommodating the Army's request to use oil fog in
training exercises in the state.
DENNIS DEWITT explained that the Army and the Department of
Environmental Conservation were working together to develop a
permit process which would outline the conditions under which
the Army could incorporate the use of oil fog into its
exercises. He also noted that Senator Leman's staff had been
working with the Army and the Department of Law to clarify the
state's role in this issue.
CO-CHAIR KELLY noted that ALCOM had recently undergone a change
of command.
REPRESENTATIVE LISA MURKOWSKI explained that Lieutenant General
Tom Case had left Alaska to assume the position of Deputy
Commander in Chief, Pacific Command, at Camp Smith, Hawaii. His
replacement as ALCOM's Commanding General is Lieutenant General
Norman Schwartz who comes to Alaska after serving as Deputy
Commander in Chief, U.S. Special Operations Command. She
observed that General Case's new assignment places him in a
perfect position to advocate Alaska as a power projection and
training location for the military and that General Schwartz,
one of the Air Force's youngest three star generals, is
recognized as a top future leader.
CO-CHAIR MULDER proposed three more individuals for membership
on the Civilian Advisory Board and moved their appointment. They
are:
-Craig Johnson
-Dave Lewis
-John Nicely
CO-CHAIR KELLY seconded the motion. The committee approved it
unanimously.
CO-CHAIR MULDER asked if there was a limit on the number of
appointments committee members could make to the Civilian
Advisory Board and if a package of information on their
responsibilities was being prepared. Mr. Nelson replied that
members could make unlimited appointments and that a package was
being prepared.
DEAN OWEN moved the appointment of the following individuals to
the Citizens Advisory Board:
-Mike Ferguson
-Mike Olson
-Buzz Ohs
-Lt. Gen (Ret) Dave Dean
-Gerald Myers
-Gordy Lewis
-Karen Washburn
SENATOR WILKEN seconded the motion. The committee approved the
appointments unanimously.
REPRESENTATIVE MURKOWSKI said that Major General Phil Oates, the
Adjutant General of Alaska, will brief Lieutenant General
Schwartz, the new ALCOM Commander, today and will invite him to
come to Juneau early in the legislative session next year. She
suggested that the committee send him a letter inviting him to
visit Juneau while the Legislature is in session.
ALAN WALKER reported on the village outreach program conducted
by service officers from the American Legion, the Veterans of
Foreign Wars and the Disabled American Veterans. The service
officer program is funded by a grant through the Department of
Military and Veterans Affairs and works to reach veterans who
are in need and help them enter assistance programs for which
they are qualified. Service officers inform veterans of
available programs, help them verify their eligibility, and
assist them in accessing the appropriate programs. He shared a
success story of a veteran from Haines who changed his life as a
result of this program.
SENATOR LEMAN said that the committee should recognize the
important role the Coast Guard is playing in fisheries
management. He noted that a Coast Guard C-130 recently caught a
Russian trawler illegally fishing in American waters.
CHICK WALLACE agreed with Senator Leman and stated that the work
of the Coast Guard in Alaska is too often taken for granted and
that Alaskans don't recognize that service's contributions
enough.
CO-CHAIR MULDER stated that the Pacific Fisheries Task Force
intended to send a letter supporting the Coast Guard's budget
request. He stated that the JASC should send a similar letter of
support.
MR. WALLACE reported on the rescue missions flown throughout
Interior Alaska by Army aviation units at Fort Wainwright.
CO-CHAIR MULDER said that he had met with Tom Morgan, Manager of
the Armed Forces YMCA and coordinator of the annual Salute to
the Military gala in Anchorage. Admiral Blair, Commander-in-
Chief, United States Pacific Command, will be the speaker at
this year's event. He proposed that the committee schedule a
meeting in conjunction with Admiral Blair's visit.
CO-CHAIR KELLY clarified that the term of office for members of
the Citizens Advisory Committee will be three years. He also
drew the attention of committee members to a letter in their
packages from Paul Fuhs outlining the progress of the Anchorage
Defense Logistics Initiative.
REPRESENTATIVE MURKOWSKI stated that the ballot initiative to
legalize marijuana in Alaska would have an adverse impact on
recruiting for both active component military and the National
Guard. She noted that service members would still be required to
undergo mandatory drug testing.
MR. WALLACE explained that Major General and Mrs. Lovelace would
be welcomed to Fairbanks at a reception in their honor at the
home of Pam Younker, President of the Fairbanks Chamber of
Commerce, following the committee meeting. He invited members of
the committee and staff to attend the reception.
CO-CHAIR KELLY recessed the meeting until 3:00 p.m. to allow
Major General Lovelace and his staff to set up the equipment
required for his briefing.
CO-CHAIR KELLY reconvened the meeting at 3:00 p.m. and
introduced Major General James Lovelace, Jr., Commanding
General, United States Army Alaska who then briefed the
committee on Army Transition and answered questions.
CO-CHAIR KELLY adjourned the meeting at 4:16 p.m.
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