Legislature(1999 - 2000)
10/04/1999 01:15 PM House ASC
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
JOINT ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE
October 4, 1999
1:15 p.m.
SENATE MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator Tim Kelly, Co-Chair
Senator Pete Kelly
Senator Gary Wilken
Senator Loren Leman - Alternate
HOUSE MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Eldon Mulder, Co-Chair
Representative Gene Therriault
Representative John Harris
Representative Reggie Joule
Representative Lisa Murkowski
PUBLIC MEMBERS PRESENT
Dean Owen
Alan Walker
John Hoyt
OTHERS PRESENT
Representative Gail Phillips
Representative Joe Green
Janice Nielsen, Legislative Liaison, U.S. Army Pacific
Lance Herrington, U.S. Army Alaska
Loran Baxter, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Mead Treadwell, Managing Director Institute of the North
LTC Robert Michaud, Post Commander, Fort Greely
MAJ Brian Hilferty, U.S. Army, Alaska
Richard Anderson, OSD BRAC Coordinator
Joyce Duff, Fort Greely BRAC Coordinator
Tim Benintendi, Legislative Staff
Matt Gill, Legislative Staff
Casey Sullivan, Legislative Staff
Mark Morones, Legislative Staff
Ken Erickson, Legislative Staff
Mike Pauley, Legislative Staff
Dennis DeWitt, Legislative Staff
Amy Erickson, Legislative Staff
Pete Fellman, Legislative Staff
Craig Johnson, Morris Communications
Chris Nelson, Staff Director, JASC
COMMITTEE AGENDA
Committee Activities Update
Review of Upcoming Events
Missile Defense Conference Preview
ACTION NARRATIVE
CO-CHAIR TIM KELLY called the Joint Armed Services
Committee to order at 1:15 p.m. at the Diamond Willow Club,
Fort Greely, Alaska.
CO-CHAIR ELDON MULDER introduced Joint Armed Services
Committee members and guests and noted the presence of a
quorum. He asked Chris Nelson, JASC staff director, to
update committee members on interim activities.
CHRIS NELSON explained that the committee's major
activities since its organizational meeting on July 18 have
included high level meetings with Department of State and
Department of Defense in Washington, D.C., participation in
the National Association of Installation Developers Annual
Conference and special seminar on military base
privatization in Jacksonville, Florida, and a special
meeting during the Legislative Special Session on
Subsistence. He noted that Rear Admiral Thomas Barrett had
given short overview of Coast Guard operations in Alaska at
the meeting and later invited committee members to tour his
headquarters and receive a more detailed presentation on
Coast Guard activities later that afternoon. A floor
session had precluded House members from accepting that
invitation but Senate members and staff held a highly
informative meeting with the Admiral and his staff.
CO-CHAIR KELLY directed that the Coast Guard's presentation
be a major agenda item at the committee's next quarterly
meeting in Juneau during the legislative session.
MR. NELSON said that major upcoming events include a
special conference on civilian joint use of military
airfields sponsored by the Federal Aviation Administration.
He noted that Dean Owen would represent the committee at
that conference. He then invited Mead Treadwell, Managing
Director of the Institute of the North, to present a
preview of his organization's upcoming ballistic missile
conference.
MEAD TREADWELL explained that the conference, entitled
"America's Front Line State and Japan: Briefing on
Ballistic Missile Defense" would be held in Honolulu,
Hawaii, on November 8-9, 1999. He said that day 1 would
focus on American missile defense policy and day 2 would
center on American and Japanese joint concerns on missile
defense. Mr. Treadwell noted that recognized experts on
missile policy have been invited to lead the discussions
and that high level members of the Japanese Self Defense
Force and leading Japanese think tanks were expected to
attend. He said Members of Congress would present policy
updates and that topics to be discussed include land based
vs. sea based missile defense options and negotiations on
modifications to the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. He
outlined travel options and invited committee members to
actively participate in the conference.
CO-CHAIR KELLY directed Mr. Nelson to coordinate committee
member participation.
CO-CHAIR MULDER noted that Mr. Loran Baxter, U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers, had briefed the committee earlier in
the day on developments in the National Missile Defense
program and announced that formal hearings on the
Environmental Impact Statement for the program would be
held in Fairbanks on November 1, Anderson on November 2,
Delta on November 3, and Anchorage on November 4. He
encouraged members to attend those meetings and send
letters in support to the National Missile Defense office.
SENATOR LEMAN asked that a position paper be drafted on the
issue.
REPRESENTATIVE MURKOWSKI asked whether the committee should
advocate a particular location be selected. Following
discussion, committee members agreed that deployment to any
Alaska location would be appropriate.
CO-CHAIR MULDER directed staff to prepare a draft letter
supporting the system for committee members' review.
CO-CHAIR KELLY invited Richard Anderson, OSD BRAC
Coordinator, and Joyce Duff, Fort Greely BRAC Coordinator,
to brief the committee on BRAC activities at Fort Greely.
RICHARD ANDERSON explained that the Base Realignment and
Closure Commission had announced Fort Greely's realignment
on February 28, 1995 and set a six-year time period to
complete the action. He noted the realignment meant that
the post headquarters and military activities would be
relocated to Fort Wainwright while the Army would retain
the training facilities and ranges. The residual force
remaining at Fort Greely would include eleven military and
fifty-five civilian personnel. He explained that the
realignment created renovation and construction
requirements at the facilities receiving Fort Greely's
activities and reported that 30 percent of those
requirements have been met at Fort Wainwright while 100
percent have been met at Black Rapids. He also noted that a
Restoration Advisory Board (RAB) was appointed to review
the cleanup process and that a historical archiving process
for Fort Greely's buildings had been initiated. Major
working issues identified by Mr. Anderson include the post-
BRAC configuration of the Fort Greely Commissary and
Exchange, the personnel draw down, and the proposal to
convert a major portion of the cantonment area to a private
prison.
CO-CHAIR MULDER introduced Craig Johnson of Morris
Communications and invited him to describe his company's
new publication, ALASKA MILITARY WEEKLY.
CRAIG JOHNSON explained that, as its name indicated, ALASKA
MILITARY WEEKLY will be a newspaper published each week
devoted to armed forces activities in the state. He noted
that it would contain stories of both local and national
interest geared toward the men and women who serve in the
military here.
CO-CHAIR KELLY noted that it would be appropriate for the
committee to receive an update on reuse activities at Adak,
the other Alaska base closed by the 1995 BRAC Commission.
He directed Mr. Nelson to invite representatives of the
Aleut Corporation, which had formed Adak's local reuse
authority, to the committee's next meeting.
CO-CHAIR KELLY also stated that the committee was looking
for people to serve on its Citizens Advisory Board.
JOHN.HOYT stated that the committee should take an active
role in supporting the Northern Warfare Training Center. He
suggested that letters should be sent to our congressional
delegation and that discussion be held with senior
commanders to increase the usage of this facility.
There being no further business to come before the
committee, CO-CHAIR KELLY adjourned the meeting at 2:20
p.m.
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