Legislature(2009 - 2010)BARNES 124
02/10/2009 01:30 PM House MILITARY & VETERANS' AFFAIRS
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HJR12 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| *+ | HJR 12 | TELECONFERENCED | |
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON MILITARY AND VETERANS' AFFAIRS
February 10, 2009
1:43 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Carl Gatto, Chair
Representative Bob Lynn
Representative Kurt Olson
Representative Jay Ramras
Representative Robert L. "Bob" Buch
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative John Harris
Representative Scott Kawasaki
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 12
Relating to the Ground-based Midcourse Defense System.
- MOVED HJR 12 OUT OF COMMITTEE
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
BILL: HJR 12
SHORT TITLE: GROUND-BASED MIDCOURSE DEFENSE SYSTEM
SPONSOR(S): REPRESENTATIVE(S) DAHLSTROM
02/02/09 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
02/02/09 (H) MLV, STA
02/10/09 (H) MLV AT 1:30 PM BARNES 124
WITNESS REGISTER
ANGELA BLANCHARD, Staff
Representative Nancy Dahlstrom
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented HJR 12 on behalf of the sponsor,
Representative Dahlstrom.
McHUGH PIERRE, Director of Communications
Legislative Liaison
Office of the Commissioner/Adjutant General
Department of Military & Veterans' Affairs (DMVA)
Fort Richardson, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Provided comments during discussion of
HJR 12.
BRIGADIER GENERAL JULIO (RANDY) BANEZ, Assistant Adjutant
General
Space and Missile Defense
Alaska Army National Guard (AK ARNG)
Department of Military & Veterans' Affairs (DMVA)
Fort Richardson, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Provided comments during discussion of
HJR 12.
ACTION NARRATIVE
1:43:08 PM
CHAIR CARL GATTO called the House Special Committee on Military
and Veterans' Affairs meeting to order at 1:43 p.m.
Representatives Gatto, Lynn, Olson, Ramras, and Buch were
present at the call to order.
HJR 12 - GROUND-BASED MIDCOURSE DEFENSE SYSTEM
1:43:40 PM
CHAIR GATTO announced that the only order of business would be
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 12, Relating to the Ground-based
Midcourse Defense System.
1:43:51 PM
ANGELA BLANCHARD, Staff, Representative Nancy Dahlstrom, Alaska
State Legislature, on behalf of Representative Dahlstrom,
sponsor, asked the committee for its support of HJR 12, which
urges Congress to [provide the necessary funding for the ongoing
development, operation, and maintenance] of the Ground-based
Midcourse Defense System, which is one of the country's lines of
defense against foreign ballistic missile threats. The
program's first interceptors were placed at Fort Greely, Alaska,
in 2004, and have the capability of intercepting and destroying
a missile mid-air. The nation's defense of its citizens is the
primary reason to continue financing this program, though its
economic impact on Alaska is substantial in that it brings $250
million into the state as well provides over 700 jobs, 200 of
which are at Fort Greely itself. The military continues to
promote the Ground-based Midcourse Defense System as a
successful program; as recently as 2008, the Ground-based
Midcourse Defense System at Fort Greely successfully intercepted
a missile launched from Kodiak. In conclusion, she indicated
that the Ground-based Midcourse Defense System is supported by
Alaska's congressional delegation.
REPRESENTATIVE RAMRAS disclosed a possible conflict of interest
in that [his company] conducts a lot of business with Boeing and
with a lot of "ground missile defense entities."
MS. BLANCHARD, in response to a question, offered her
understanding that the program's most recent [test] was
successful.
1:48:21 PM
McHUGH PIERRE, Director of Communications, Legislative Liaison,
Office of the Commissioner/Adjutant General, Department of
Military & Veterans' Affairs (DMVA), said that the Ground-based
Midcourse Defense System has been successful with a number of
test launches. A radar system was set up in Juneau; missiles
were sent from Kodiak to simulate a missile launch from the area
of North Korea; and interceptors were launched from Vandenberg
Air Force Base in California. What occurred was an "inertia
destruction of the attack vehicle," in that a solid object was
launched, was guided by radar, and collided with the attack
vehicle in space. In conclusion, he relayed that the DMVA
supports HJR 12, and urges the committee and the legislature to
support it as well because of its economic impact on Alaska's
communities, and because it provides training and longevity for
the guard members involved.
REPRESENTATIVE RAMRAS characterized the Ground-based Midcourse
Defense System as being good for Alaska, the country, and for
the safety of the world.
REPRESENTATIVE LYNN relayed that he's been to Fort Greely, was
impressed with the professionalism of the activities occurring
there, and had the opportunity to watch a simulation of a
missile intercept, which he characterized as sophisticated.
1:51:48 PM
BRIGADIER GENERAL JULIO (RANDY) BANEZ, Assistant Adjutant
General, Space and Missile Defense, Alaska Army National Guard
(AK ARNG), Department of Military & Veterans' Affairs (DMVA),
relayed that the ground missile defense system is the
cornerstone of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency's multilayered
missile defense architecture. Ground missile defense is
designed to detect, track, discriminate, intercept, and destroy
long- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles during the
midcourse - the exoatmospheric - phase of flight. The weapon
system consists of land-, sea-, and space-based sensors, command
and control operations, and silo-based interceptors, which are
located at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California and Fort
Greely in Alaska.
BRIGADIER GENERAL BANEZ said the economic impact of this program
on Alaska is significant, accounting for over $65 million in
economic activity in salaries and expenditures annually from
Fort Greely. The military built a new public library and an
elementary school in Delta Junction a few years ago, and
currently there are several "quality of life" projects at Fort
Greely. This summer "we" will start building 126 new homes,
taking about six years to complete; a new community center and a
fire station will break ground next year with an estimated
completion time of two years; and a total of over $75 million in
building projects are programmed for the next several years.
BRIGADIER GENERAL BANEZ said that additionally, Fort Greely is
programmed to continue to improve the missile field with
hundreds of millions of dollars for a future power plant in
2009/2010, and for additional silos. During a recent interview,
he noted, Delta Junction mayor, Mary Leith-Dowling, acknowledged
that the City of Delta Junction and the military enjoy a strong
relationship. Today, he continued, roughly 200 soldiers of "the
49th Missile Defense Battalion, your Alaska guardsman," operate
the ground missile defense system 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,
365 days a year in order to defend the homeland of 300 million
Americans. With the AK ARNG manning and protecting the missile
defense system, Alaska is playing a critical role, as well as a
high-visibility role, in the defense of America and in world
affairs.
MR. PIERRE, in response to a question, explained that although
at one time Fort Greely had been scheduled for closure,
groundbreaking and construction activity for the Ground-based
Midcourse Defense System instead began in 2002/2003.
1:55:31 PM
REPRESENTATIVE LYNN moved to report HJR 12 out of committee with
individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal notes.
There being no objection, HJR 12 was reported from the House
Special Committee on Military and Veterans' Affairs.
1:56:24 PM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Special Committee on Military and Veterans' Affairs meeting was
adjourned at 1:56 p.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| HJR 12 Backup.pdf |
HMLV 2/10/2009 1:30:00 PM |
HJR 12 |
| Sponsor Statement HJR 12.pdf |
HMLV 2/10/2009 1:30:00 PM |
HJR 12 |