03/27/2012 01:00 PM House MILITARY & VETERANS' AFFAIRS

         SJR 14-MILITARY PERSONNEL CUTS & BASE CLOSURES                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
1:59:29 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  THOMPSON announced  that  the final  order of  business                                                               
would be  CS FOR SENATE  JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 14(STA)  Urging the                                                               
United  States Department  of Defense  to protect  military bases                                                               
and  military  personnel  in  the   state  for  the  defense  and                                                               
protection of the state and the nation.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
1:59:44 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  BILL WIELECHOWSKI,  Alaska  State Legislature,  sponsor,                                                               
introduced  CSSJR  14,  saying  the  resolution  urges  the  U.S.                                                               
Department  of  Defense  (DOD)  to  protect  military  bases  and                                                               
military personnel  in Alaska for  the defense and  protection of                                                               
the  state and  the  nation.   He  stressed  the  purpose of  the                                                               
resolution is  not necessarily to  protect Alaska's  economy, but                                                               
is for the security of  the nation.  Senator Wielechowski further                                                               
explained  the resolution  is in  response to  two possible  base                                                               
realignment and  closure rounds expected  in the next  few years.                                                               
Base  closures  are  authorized by  Congress  through  a  process                                                               
called Base  Realignment and  Closure (BRAC),  defined by  DOD as                                                               
the  congressionally authorized  process to  reorganize its  base                                                               
structure  around   the  world  to  more   efficiently  and  more                                                               
effectively   support  our   forces   and  increase   operational                                                               
readiness  and  facilitate new  ways  of  doing  business.     He                                                               
pointed out that  the first step during the BRAC  process in 2005                                                               
was  a   threat  assessment  of  the   future  national  security                                                               
environment,  followed by  the development  of a  force structure                                                               
plan to meet  those threats, and then  implementation of mandated                                                               
selection criterion.   In 2005,  it was suggested  to consolidate                                                               
Elmendorf Air  Force Base and  Fort Richardson Army Base,  and to                                                               
close Eielson  Air Force Base  (Eielson AFB).   The consolidation                                                               
created  Joint  Base  Elmendorf-Richardson, but  the  closure  of                                                               
Eielson  AFB was  prevented by  intervention from  the community.                                                               
However, Eielson AFB  may still be the base  most threatened with                                                               
closure.    Senator  Wielechowski   noted  there  is  a  separate                                                               
resolution opposing  the transfer of the  F-16 Aggressor Squadron                                                               
from  Eielson AFB  to Elmendorf  Air  Force Base.   Returning  to                                                               
CSSJR  14, he  advised the  message that  needs to  be heard  is:                                                               
Alaska is  sitting at  the top  of the world  and is  within nine                                                               
hours of 95  percent of the industrial world; has  the best joint                                                               
training spaces available  within the U.S. armed  forces; has the                                                               
largest overland  instrumented training  range in the  world; and                                                               
has the  shortest deployment route  to eastern and  central Asia.                                                               
Furthermore, Eielson  AFB supports  the North  American Aerospace                                                               
Command  (NORAD)   and  ground-based  missile   defense  systems;                                                               
protects sovereign  air space; secures the  Trans-Alaska Pipeline                                                               
System (TAPS);  serves as an  air bridge to the  Pacific theatre;                                                               
is  critical in  defense of  the Pacific;  has few  environmental                                                               
constraints;  has  a  self-contained  fuel  supply;  has  seismic                                                               
detectors; has huge  storage capacity; has long  runways; and has                                                               
self-contained  water  and  power  supplies  on  base.    Senator                                                               
Wielechowski  concluded  that  the resolution  makes  clear  that                                                               
Alaska is very important to the security of the U.S.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
2:05:00 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  THOMPSON  observed  the  resolution  does  not  specify                                                               
either base, but addresses all of the bases and personnel.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE   AUSTERMAN   expressed   his   support   of   the                                                               
resolution.   He noted there is  no reference to the  U. S. Coast                                                               
Guard although it is the first line of defense.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI acknowledged the  critical importance of the                                                               
Coast Guard to national security, and  pointed out that it is not                                                               
considered in BRAC rounds.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE CISSNA  opined the  security of Alaska  is special                                                               
and  unusual because  of its  large  land area  and the  enormous                                                               
quantity of  its resources.   Also, Alaska has neighbors  who may                                                               
covet its resources.  She  related that DHS&EM has been surveying                                                               
rural and coastal communities looking  for "weak points," so they                                                               
can give warning.   The bases also serve in this  way.  She urged                                                               
that  any analysis  of the  security of  the nation  should begin                                                               
with Alaska.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
2:09:27 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  WIELECHOWSKI  advised  that the  federal  government  is                                                               
reevaluating  where threats  lie,  and they  lie  in the  Pacific                                                               
theatre near Alaska; in fact, Alaska  is within nine air hours of                                                               
95 percent  of the industrial  world.   There are two  air routes                                                               
from North America  to eastern and central Asia  - through Hawaii                                                               
and Guam  or through  Alaska -  and the  route through  Alaska is                                                               
1,800 miles  shorter.  He concluded  that the nation needs  to be                                                               
prepared to defend the country and the state.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  CISSNA  recalled  that  Alaska  has  the  largest                                                               
percentage per capita  of veterans.  She said it  is important to                                                               
remember that human resources are  critical to the defense of the                                                               
state and to prepare for possibilities.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER  expressed his  support of  the resolution                                                               
and  said  it defends  the  value  of  Alaska's military  to  the                                                               
nation.   He reviewed  some of the  statements in  the resolution                                                               
and  opined it  would be  a big  mistake to  reduce the  military                                                               
presence in Alaska.   Representative Saddler said  he was looking                                                               
forward to discussing these points  with the Pentagon delegation.                                                               
As a cross  sponsor, he noted the importance of  the principle to                                                               
defend all bases  and all missions in the state,  due to Alaska's                                                               
strategic position.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
2:13:35 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  THOMPSON,   hearing  no  further  questions   from  the                                                               
committee, opened public testimony.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
2:13:57 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MCHUGH    PIERRE,   Deputy    Commissioner,    Office   of    the                                                               
Commissioner/Adjutant General,  DMVA, stated that  the resolution                                                               
is  consistent with  the message  of DMVA,  which is  that Alaska                                                               
holds strategic  value to the focus  of the military that  is now                                                               
on the Asia/Pacific area, as announced by the President.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE CISSNA  asked how the resolution  could affect and                                                               
help veterans living in the state.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
MR.  PIERRE said  the resolution  clearly supports  the logistics                                                               
needed  to defend  Alaska.    He referred  to  the Joint  Pacific                                                               
Alaska  Range  Complex  (JPARC),  and noted  that  smaller  bases                                                               
around the state are needed to support larger training bases.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
2:16:16 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
LUKE HOPKINS, Mayor,  FNSB, gave a short history  of Eielson AFB.                                                               
Mr.  Hopkins expressed  his  hope that  the  resolution would  be                                                               
passed  out of  committee, as  he  has been  informed that  other                                                               
states are sending messages to  Congress and DOD supporting their                                                               
positions;  however, Alaska  is  in a  great  position for  rapid                                                               
deployment and  JPARC training, and  also has  superior strategic                                                               
importance.    He  cautioned  that the  relocation  of  the  F-16                                                               
Aggressor  Squadron from  Eielson AFB  is based  on savings  from                                                               
questionable  information.    Mr.   Hopkins  concluded  that  the                                                               
resolution  imparts an  urgent message  to the  flight assessment                                                               
team.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR THOMPSON supported funds  being placed in the governor's                                                               
supplemental budget to  hire a consultant firm to  help the state                                                               
research the actual savings.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  SADDLER asked  if  FNSB engaged  the services  of                                                               
lobbyists or advisors in this issue.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
MR.  HOPKINS  said yes.    The  borough assembly  has  authorized                                                               
$120,000 to  hire a  consulting firm in  Washington D.C.  - which                                                               
has experience  with the 2005  analysis used  by the Air  Force -                                                               
and  a   local  economist   to  advise   on  housing   and  local                                                               
information.    These  analyses  will  be  provided  to  Alaska's                                                               
congressional delegation.  In  further response to Representative                                                               
Saddler,  he  said  the  consultants  are  Information  Insights,                                                               
Northern Economics, and Public Private Solutions Group.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
2:22:21 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  THOMPSON,  after  determining  no one  else  wished  to                                                               
testify, closed public testimony.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
2:22:29 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  SADDLER  moved to  report  CSSJR  14(STA) out  of                                                               
committee  with individual  recommendations and  the accompanying                                                               
fiscal  notes.   There  being  no  objection, CSSJR  14(STA)  was                                                               
reported  from  the  House  Special  Committee  on  Military  and                                                               
Veterans' Affairs.