Legislature(2015 - 2016)CAPITOL 120
02/19/2015 01:00 PM House MILITARY & VETERANS' AFFAIRS
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Presentation: Department of Military and Veterans Affairs | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON MILITARY AND VETERANS' AFFAIRS
February 19, 2015
1:04 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Bob Herron, Chair
Representative Jim Colver
Representative Gabrielle LeDoux
Representative Bob Lynn
Representative Max Gruenberg
Representative Chris Tuck
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative Shelley Hughes
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
PRESENTATION: DEPARTMENT OF MILITARY AND VETERANS AFFAIRS
- HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
COMMISSIONER/ADJUTANT GENERAL DESIGNEE COLONEL LAUREL J. HUMMEL,
USA, Retired
Department of Military & Veterans Affairs (DMVA)
Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Provided a PowerPoint presentation
entitled, "DMVA in the Arctic," and dated 2/19/15.
BRIGADIER GENERAL LEON M. "MIKE" BRIDGES
Assistant Adjutant General, Army Director
Alaska Army National Guard
Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA)
Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Answered questions during the presentation
by the Department of Military & Veterans Affairs.
COLONEL ROBERT DOEHL, USAF, Retired, Deputy Commissioner
Office of the Commissioner/Adjutant General
Department of Military & Veterans Affairs (DMVA)
Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Answered a question during the presentation
by the Department of Military & Veterans Affairs.
ACTION NARRATIVE
1:04:43 PM
CHAIR BOB HERRON called the House Special Committee on Military
and Veterans' Affairs meeting to order at 1:04 p.m.
Representatives LeDoux, Colver, Lynn, and Herron were present at
the call to order. Representatives Tuck and Gruenberg arrived
as the meeting was in progress.
^PRESENTATION: DEPARTMENT OF MILITARY AND VETERANS AFFAIRS
PRESENTATION: DEPARTMENT OF MILITARY AND VETERANS AFFAIRS
1:05:06 PM
CHAIR HERRON announced that the only order of business would be
a presentation by Commissioner/Adjutant General Designee Laurel
J. Hummel, Department of Military & Veterans Affairs (DMVA).
1:05:39 PM
COMMISSIONER/ADJUTANT GENERAL DESIGNEE COLONEL LAUREL J. HUMMEL,
USA, Retired, Department of Military & Veterans Affairs (DMVA),
said she would share her vision of the Alaska National Guard
(AKNG) and DMVA regarding Arctic policy. She expressed her
belief that Arctic strategy, operational partnerships, and a
focus on emergency management throughout the state are of
primary importance in the near-term (slide 2). Regarding Arctic
strategy, she said the federal government has provided
definitive guiding documents on the needs of the Arctic in the
National Strategy for the Arctic Region [The White House, dated
May 10, 2013], and the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) version
of that, the Department of Defense Arctic Strategy [November,
2013]. Commissioner/Adjutant General Designee Hummel informed
the committee that DoD's Arctic Strategy is to promote a
balanced approach to improving human and environmental security
in the region. Improving human and environmental security
entails not only defense from aggression, but also activities in
support of resource extraction, trade, infrastructure
development, and commercial and scientific operations. To
execute Arctic strategy, there is a need for force-to-force
partnerships with Canada, Finland, Denmark, Mongolia, and Nepal
to promote security solutions and to share best practices,
especially regarding safe cold weather operational experience.
At the domestic level, Alaska needs to continue its close
partnership with DoD through the U.S. Code Title 10 force
structure: Alaskan Command (ALCOM), U.S. Army Alaska, U.S. Army
Pacific, First Army Corps, Eighth U.S. Army, and the Seventeenth
U.S. Coast Guard. Regionally aligned partnerships are necessary
to ensure relevance for AKNG in order to preserve its funding
and force structure. Commissioner/Adjutant General Designee
Hummel pointed out that AKNG has a successful state relationship
with Mongolia and has acted in a mentorship role for Mongolian
forces in Afghanistan, and seeks a similar relationship with
Nepal to expand its training opportunities to another cold-
weather, high-altitude environment.
1:11:23 PM
CHAIR HERRON asked about Russia.
1:11:34 PM
BRIGADIER GENERAL LEON M. "MIKE" BRIDGES, Assistant Adjutant
General, Army Director, Alaska Army National Guard, DMVA,
responded that Russian forces have been participants at the
observer level in international multi-agency exercises along
with Chinese military forces.
COMMISSIONER/ADJUTANT GENERAL DESIGNEE HUMMEL returned to
critical partnerships such as the Department of Emergency
Management and Homeland Security (DEM&HS), the Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA), tribal authorities, cities, boroughs
and local emergency centers. The Arctic is changing at an
unprecedented speed which requires the commissioner to maintain
close contact with policy advisors and scientific research on
how change affects environmental and human security. The third
part of her vision, emergency management, is vitally important
because there must be sound exercise doctrine ready at every
level, including communities, so that rural communities are
aware of "what the proper linkages are." She stressed that DMVA
must always follow an organizational culture: adherence to
doctrine always applies in all circumstances; sound processes of
techniques, tactics, and procedures (TTP); customer focus on
veterans, AKNG members, Alaskans, and federal partners (slide
2).
1:16:24 PM
REPRESENTATIVE TUCK asked for additional benefits from
operational partnerships beyond training exercises.
COMMISSIONER/ADJTANT GENERAL DESIGNEE HUMMEL answered that other
benefits are cost sharing, best practices, and security
solutions to federal levels.
REPRESENTATIVE TUCK asked about the process of sharing costs -
such as training exercises in Mongolia - through memorandums of
understanding, or other ways to measure the benefits to Alaska.
BRIGADIER GENERAL BRIDGES advised that "the big picture on that"
is the strategic partnership international peacekeeping element.
The state partnership program was formed post-Cold War by the
State Department, Congress, and DoD by pairing former Communist
satellites with National Guards of states, the ranks of which
are business people, government leaders and employees, and
professionals. In this non-threatening manner, the principles
of democracy and emergency response capability were introduced
to these nations. Mongolia and Alaska have a ten-year
partnership, and other nations need strategic-level partners to
prevent or reduce conflict. The federal government pays
transportation costs using the tenants of military training,
cooperation, and engagement.
CHAIR HERRON asked:
Just so, for clarification, if the federal government
has placed federal soldiers in the combat zones, then
the National Guard is excluded from those national
guard-to-national guard relationships? ... When we
were in Afghanistan, obviously ... that's at the
federal level.
BRIGADIER GENERAL BRIDGES stated that when mobilized with a
federal mission, AKNG is part of the Army or Air Force; for
those mission periods, a military officer and a noncommissioned
officer liaison trainer were sent with the Mongolian contingent,
so that the Mongolian forces became part of the coalition that
served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
COLONEL ROBERT DOEHL, USAF, Retired, Deputy Commissioner, Office
of the Commissioner/Adjutant General, Department of Military &
Veterans Affairs, added two examples of how international
exercises have benefitted Alaskans. Firstly, AKNG has
participated in exercises with Russia on how to prosecute in the
case of a hijacked aircraft traveling from one country's
airspace to another. Through these exercises, procedures and a
common understanding have been developed, reducing risk to
Alaskans and other Americans. Secondly, international search
and rescue exercises with Canadians and Russians ensure that
with the vagaries of time, distance, and weather in the Arctic,
the closest rescue forces are available to assist whomever is in
distress.
1:23:27 PM
COMMISSIONER/ADJUTANT GENERAL DESIGNEE HUMMEL returned to
ongoing Arctic operations, and noted that she will be attending
"quad staff talks" with other military forces in Alaska, and a
quarterly "general officer/flag officer huddle" with senior
military leaders to discuss important issues and cooperative
planning. In addition, DMVA has established a partnership with
the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF), and its Department of
Homeland Security and Emergency Management, to develop an Arctic
101 course - to be delivered to all guardsmen - and AKNG experts
on Arctic operations and Arctic living will serve as guest
lecturers. The National Guard Bureau has begun to acknowledge
Alaska as the leader of Arctic strategy amongst all states and
the National Guard and, in fact, the National Guard Bureau
Arctic Interest Group with representation from New York,
Vermont, Maine, and Alaska, recently handed the leadership of
Arctic operations over from Maine to Alaska. She expressed her
hope that a charter on this matter will be executed at the
National Guard Bureau (slide 4).
CHAIR HERRON asked why the charter is unsigned.
COMMISSIONER/ADJUTANT GENERAL DESIGNEE HUMMEL surmised this has
been an oversight. She will be meeting with other members of
the Arctic interest group. In further response to Chair Herron,
she said she planned to meet with members of the Alaska
Congressional Delegation during a subsequent trip to Washington
D.C.
CHAIR HERRON stressed the value of informing the Lower 48 and
Hawaii the importance of Alaska, and of the U.S. becoming a true
Arctic nation. He encouraged the designee to use her position
of advocacy when meeting with her counterparts.
1:29:24 PM
COMMISSIONER/ADJUTANT GENERAL DESIGNEE HUMMEL advised that she
has an opportunity to speak when the Adjutants General meet four
times per year.
CHAIR HERRON related that the Congressional delegation has asked
for more discussion with officials from other states about
Alaska's importance.
COMMISSIONER/ADJUTANT DESIGNEE HUMMEL directed attention to
force readiness training in AKNG, which has emphasized Arctic
proficiencies, especially in and consequence management
capacity. Consequence management is based on the belief that as
the Arctic environment changes, it will be more heavily
trafficked, populated, and thus more prone to an emergency. For
example, a cruise ship may run aground. She then noted that the
297th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade in the Army Guard will be
training in Bethel and nearby villages in April. Returning
attention to the issue of emergency management, she said AKNG
members are routinely involved in search and rescue activities
by the 210th, 211th, and 212th Rescue Squadrons and the Army
aviation regiment (slide 5). The Division of Homeland Security
& Management is the hub for disaster notification and response;
the state emergency operations center operates from the armory,
providing outreach and training to local emergency centers,
borough, and cities (slide 6). Finally, the Alaska Aerospace
Corporation is a partner in the Arctic strategy and is
administered by DMVA; however, DMVA does not have control over
operations or discussions of privatization. The corporation
presents an opportunity to partner with firms to provide high
latitude geo-synchronized satellites which are used for enhanced
digital imaging. Commissioner/Adjutant General Designee Hummel
closed, saying DMVA will engage in an organizational culture of
mutual respect, openness, transparency, and customer focus.
1:37:05 PM
REPRESENTATIVE TUCK asked whether DMVA utilized the Alaska Land
Mobile Radio system.
1:37:29 PM
COMMISSIONER/ADJUTANT GENERAL DESIGNEE HUMMEL nodded her head
yes.
1:38:48 PM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Special Committee on Military and Veterans' Affairs meeting was
adjourned at 1:38 p.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| DMVA in the Arctic.pdf |
HMLV 2/19/2015 1:00:00 PM |