Legislature(2011 - 2012)CAPITOL 120
02/03/2011 01:00 PM House MILITARY & VETERANS' AFFAIRS
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Overview(s): Organizational Structure of Alaska's Military | |
| Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Management | |
| Alaska Military Youth Academy | |
| 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 3, 2011
1:04 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Dan Saddler, Co-Chair
Representative Steve Thompson, Co-Chair
Representative Alan Austerman
Representative Bob Lynn
Representative Sharon Cissna
Representative Bob Miller
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative Carl Gatto, Vice Chair
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
OVERVIEW(S): ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF ALASKA'S MILITARY
- HEARD
DIVISION OF HOMELAND SECURITY & EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
- HEARD
ALASKA MILITARY YOUTH ACADEMY
- HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
MAJOR GENERAL THOMAS KATKUS, Adjutant General/Commissioner
Office of the Commissioner/Adjutant General
Department of Military & Veterans' Affairs
Ft. Richardson, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented an overview of Alaska's Military.
VERDIE BOWEN, Director of Veterans Affairs
Office of Veteran Affairs
Department of Military & Veterans' Affairs
Ft. Richardson, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented an overview and answered
questions about veterans' affairs in Alaska.
COLONEL ROGER HOLL, Commander
Alaska State Defense Force
Ft. Richardson, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented an overview of the Alaska State
Defense Force.
BRIGADIER GENERAL DEBORAH McMANUS, Assistant Adjutant General
Air Director
Alaska Air National Guard Commander
Alaska Air National Guard
Department of Military & Veterans' Affairs
Ft. Richardson, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented an overview and answered
questions about the Alaska Air National Guard.
MICHAEL O'HARE, Deputy Director
Division of Homeland Security/Emergency Management
Department of Military & Veterans' Affairs
Ft. Richardson, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented an overview and answered
questions about the Division of Homeland Security in Alaska.
McHUGH PIERRE, Deputy Commissioner/Chief of Staff
Office of the Commissioner/Adjutant General
Department of Military & Veterans' Affairs
Ft. Richardson, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented an overview on the Alaska
Military Youth Academy.
ACTION NARRATIVE
1:04:59 PM
CO-CHAIR DAN SADDLER called the House Special Committee on
Military and Veterans' Affairs meeting to order at 1:04 p.m.
Representatives Saddler, Thompson, Miller, Lynn, and Austerman
were present at the call to order. Representative Cissna
arrived as the meeting was in progress.
1:05:31 PM
CO-CHAIR SADDLER announced that the committee would first
introduce themselves and share their interests for membership on
the House Special Committee on Military and Veterans' Affairs.
REPRESENTATIVE LYNN said that he had been on the committee for
eight years. He confirmed that he was retired from the Air
Force, and he shared his family history of membership in the
military.
REPRESENTATIVE MILLER stated that the concentration of military
in his district afforded "a wonderful opportunity for me to
serve the people who have already served me."
REPRESENTATIVE AUSTERMAN reported on his interest for military
matters in Alaska.
CO-CHAIR THOMPSON noted that he had served at Fort Wainwright in
1995, and had stayed in Alaska after his discharge. He
reflected that the military was a major part of the economy in
Alaska, and that it was "an honor to have the military in
Alaska."
1:09:08 PM
CO-CHAIR SADDLER shared his personal and family history with the
military, and pointed out that his district included Joint Base
Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER).
REPRESENTATIVE CISSNA confirmed that she had previously served
on the committee and she shared her family history of military
service.
^OVERVIEW(S): ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF ALASKA'S MILITARY
OVERVIEW(S): ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF ALASKA'S MILITARY
1:12:59 PM
CO-CHAIR SADDLER announced that the first order of business
would be an Overview on the Organizational Structure of Alaska's
Military.
MAJOR GENERAL THOMAS KATKUS, Adjutant General/Commissioner,
Office of the Commissioner/Adjutant General, Department of
Military & Veterans' Affairs, detailed his military background.
He described the five major pillars of the Department of
Military & Veterans' Affairs (DMVA), as serving cradle to grave:
the Youth ChalleNGe Program; the two military services, Alaska
Army National Guard and Alaska Air National Guard; Emergency
Management; and the Office of Veteran Affairs. He directed
attention to the 2010 Annual Report [Included in members'
packets] as a summation of the department. He spoke about the
military involvement with rescues. He pointed out that 4500
people served full time and part time, and he referenced the
organization chart on page 5.
1:19:42 PM
VERDIE BOWEN, Director of Veterans Affairs, Office of Veteran
Affairs, Department of Military & Veterans' Affairs, reported
that there were currently 77,025 veterans with 89,000 dependents
in Alaska. In addition, he stated that there were 28,936 active
duty military and National Guard, with 37,742 dependents. He
described the Yellow Ribbon Program, offered under the Alaska
National Guard family services, which visited 161 communities
throughout the state to provide information and assistance to
veterans regarding benefits and entitlements earned while in
service.
1:22:20 PM
MR. BOWEN indicated that this was the first time for this
project and that it had reached 1000 veterans who were not aware
of their benefits. He explained that, prior to the 1980's,
veterans were discharged without being briefed about veteran
benefits. He added that this program had assisted more than 400
family members of veterans, who were also eligible for benefits.
He talked about the town hall meetings held in Juneau,
Anchorage, Fairbanks, Bethel, Eagle River, Wasilla, Tok, Nome,
and Ketchikan.
1:25:31 PM
MR. BOWEN briefed the committee on the second annual Veterans
Summit, in Anchorage and Wasilla, which served an average of 300
veterans at each meeting. He explained that this was a venue
for [veterans] post commanders to talk about veterans issues.
He summarized that these summits recognized issues which needed
to be brought to the forefront and on to the Alaska State
Legislature, and that it also allowed for issue determinations
to be made for state or federal responsibility.
1:27:02 PM
MR. BOWEN spoke about the Alaska Territorial Guard (ATG), noting
that the last two living members' packages had been presented to
the Army for an actual discharge. He defined that the Alaska
Territorial Guard served from 1942 - 1947, and that the
subsequent members were referred to as Guardsmen in the
Territory of Alaska. He reported that 1201 ATG members had
received federal discharges. He shared that staff had reviewed
records and had found five guardsmen still due federal
retirement benefits. In addition, there were 32 spouses
eligible for survivor's benefits. He spoke about the Alaska
National Guard Military Funeral Honors Teams, which perform the
ceremonies for ATG veterans.
1:30:39 PM
REPRESENTATIVE CISSNA asked about the Stand Down services, and
pointed to its positive effects.
1:32:00 PM
MR. BOWEN replied that the Office of Veterans Affairs supported
two Stand Downs each year, in Fairbanks and Anchorage. He said
that 461 meals were served at Stand Down 2010. He pointed out
that the National Guard, the Alaska State Defense Force, the
Navy Chiefs club, and the Veterans Affairs (VA) all worked
together on this program. He shared that more than 60
organizations had offered their services.
1:34:05 PM
MR. BOWEN explained that the Veteran Service Officer (VSO)
program helped veterans collect benefits when leaving active
duty. He reported that the VSO program had helped veterans
recoup $35 million in previously denied payments. He stated
that the 14,000 disabled Alaska veterans received more than $150
million in annual compensation. He shared that veterans using
the VSO increased their annual income from $4000 to $11,000. He
pointed out that the Office of Veterans Affairs served 19,355
vets, and that Alaska had a 7 percent annual increase to its
veteran population. He announced that there were five community
based VA outpatient clinics working in partnership with the
local health providers. He pointed out that the current post
911 GI bill, which was now automated, served 1280 students per
month in the education system, compared to 300 students each
month pre 911. He spoke about the new GI bill which would
include trade programs, and would increase the educational
programs to 3500 students per month.
1:40:15 PM
MR. BOWEN noted that there were more than 800 accredited
educational programs, each of which had to be annually
certified. He confirmed that the VA had finished building the
community out base clinic in Juneau. He listed the clinic
locations: Fairbanks, Wasilla, Kenai, Juneau, and Anchorage.
Lastly, he declared that the Office of Veterans Affairs had
processed 2800 VA certificates of eligibility for home loans in
the past year.
1:44:19 PM
REPRESENTATIVE CISSNA spoke of the problem with senior care
housing, noting the need for senior veterans' care which was
closer to homes, and she asked for an update.
1:46:18 PM
MR. BOWEN referred to a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
between the Federal VA and the Indian Health Service, which
allowed the veterans to use local Indian Health Services. He
did not know of any rural housing to care for veterans.
1:47:40 PM
REPRESENTATIVE CISSNA reflected that the House Community and
Regional Affairs Standing Committee had just passed legislation
for senior care housing, similar to assisted living. She opined
that the VA could do something similar in rural communities.
1:49:38 PM
REPRESENTATIVE AUSTERMAN congratulated the Office of Veterans
Affairs on the success of its Yellow Ribbon Program.
1:51:00 PM
MR. BOWEN, in response to Co-Chair Saddler, said that any
additional revenue could best be used by the VSO program. He
opined that this "gives us more bang for our buck."
1:52:22 PM
MAJOR GENERAL KATKUS ascertained that the Alaska Army National
Guard had transitioned from its Cold War role of infantry
centric to a high tech global deployment. He noted that
training was now carried out "on a certified range, on a [sic]
active military base, and it's done in preparation for a
mobilization." He spoke about the new armory in Bethel. He
pointed out that the Alaska Army National Guard had transitioned
to a military police structure, in support of the missile
defense program. He noted that this military police training
would serve Alaska in its search for law enforcement personnel.
He announced that enrollment in the National Guard was possible
at 17 years of age. He spoke about the Civil Support Team,
which protected against hazardous material threats.
1:59:48 PM
MAJOR GENERAL KATKUS described the new equipment the National
Guard had received. He discussed the various deployments,
including infantry and aviation. He presented that recruitment
was now focused on Alaska National Guard, not focusing on Army
National Guard or Air National Guard. He confirmed that the
Alaska National Guard was now a sponsor for the Iron Dog, and
that a female Alaska National Guard race team had entered.
2:05:04 PM
MAJOR GENERAL KATKUS, in response to Representative Cissna, said
that a lot of effort was being put into the war on drugs. He
stated that the National Guard was offering itself as a role
model and "a catalyst for people making right choices, the right
choice is staying in school, right choice is staying away from
drugs, alcohol, even tobacco." He noted that the National Guard
recruiters tried to incentivize with opportunities.
2:06:15 PM
COLONEL ROGER HOLL, Commander, Alaska State Defense Force,
shared that his background included serving in the US Marine
Corps, attending law school, and coming to Alaska as a VISTA
volunteer attorney. He stated that the vast majority of the
Alaska State Defense Force (ASDF) had served in the military.
He said "We're Alaskans helping other Alaskans." He defined the
state defense force as "a reserve component designed to augment
the National Guard and its mission." He declared that the
defense force tried to utilize the skills and talents of its
members. He referenced the Alaska State Defense Force pamphlet.
[Included in members packets]
2:10:25 PM
COLONEL HOLL stated that the ASDF could "do some of the jobs for
the National Guard to free them up to do what they do best." He
declared that this professional relationship with the National
Guard had resulted in better training opportunities for the
ASDF. He spoke about the ASDF training in communications. He
noted that there were medical personnel on ASDF. He announced
that the ASDF staff was trained in incident command, Military
Emergency Management Specialists, as well as basic skills in
soldiering. He stated that the mission for ASDF had changed,
but that it still worked to do what was necessary to help
Alaska. He spoke of the ASDF assistance with events including
Special Olympics and Operation Stand Down.
2:16:31 PM
BRIGADIER GENERAL DEBORAH McMANUS, Assistant Adjutant General
Air Director, Alaska Air National Guard Commander, Alaska Air
National Guard, Department of Military & Veterans' Affairs,
reported that the Alaska Air National Guard was growing. She
shared that the Alaska Air National Guard had two flying wings,
located in Fairbanks and at JBER. She noted that, within these
two flying wings, there were five flying units, which included
tankers, rescue, helicopters, and C-130 tactical airlift. She
directed attention to the fixed weapons systems, and the early
warning systems. She announced that the Air National Guard was
more important than ever, as it was an integral support to the
military forces in Alaska, and she listed many of the support
systems. She pointed out that in addition to defense missions,
the Air National Guard deployed to Afghanistan, Guam, and Iraq.
She talked about its rescue missions, and mentioned that there
had been 64 missions this year. She noted the efforts by the
late Senator Ted Stevens for the maintenance of rescue forces in
Alaska. She expanded on the innovative readiness training
program for reserves from throughout the United States. She
reported that the Air National Guard brought more than $200
million federal dollars to Alaska.
2:25:57 PM
REPRESENTATIVE AUSTERMAN asked for an update on the 49th Missile
Defense Battalion.
2:26:58 PM
MAJOR GENERAL KATKUS clarified that the missile defense
battalion in Fort Greely was still a functional, operational
defensive system, and was no longer a testing facility. He
replied that the Kodiak launch complex provided the target.
2:27:30 PM
REPRESENTATIVE AUSTERMAN asked about the decision to build silos
in Kodiak.
2:27:55 PM
MAJOR GENERAL KATKUS replied that when missiles aged out from
the Fort Greely complex, they were transferred to Vandenberg, as
the designated launch test site. He clarified that there were
1800 full time uniformed National Guard members in Alaska. He
praised the record for support of the 168th Air Refueling Wing.
2:29:25 PM
CO-CHAIR THOMPSON asked if the deployment of National Guard
reserves had any effect on retention, as this deployment often
resulted in a large drop in pay for many professionals.
2:30:14 PM
BRIGADIER GENERAL McMANUS replied that she was not aware of any
problems with retention.
^DIVISION OF HOMELAND SECURITY & EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
DIVISION OF HOMELAND SECURITY & EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
2:30:48 PM
MICHAEL O'HARE, Deputy Director, Division of Homeland
Security/Emergency Management, Department of Military &
Veterans' Affairs, stated that the mission of the division was
"to protect the lives and property of Alaskans affected by
disasters." He clarified that they were the coordinating entity
which supported the local communities to prepare, respond, and
recover from any disaster. He spoke of the extensive planning
and training exercises with the local communities and other
state agencies. He noted that the division had 66 staff, and
that Alaska was prepared for any sized event. He observed that
work was still necessary for catastrophic event planning,
training, and exercising, and that this would involve
collaborative work groups. He referenced the 2010 Annual
Report, and the Top Ten Activities listed.
2:37:08 PM
MR. O'HARE ascertained that as a disaster warranted, the
Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Management would
organize the request for assistance in certain areas. He
pointed to the "Ready Alaska" campaign which better prepared
first responders.
2:40:28 PM
MR. O'HARE, in response to Representative Cissna, replied that
his division regularly visited communities for work on emergency
response and preparedness plans. He spoke about the incident
command system, which planned the organizational structure
during the chaos of an emergency. He confirmed that the leaders
and emergency managers of small community were brought to
Anchorage twice annually to train, plan, and share ideas for
better preparedness.
2:41:54 PM
REPRESENTATIVE CISSNA asked about the possibility for
coordination to ensure that everything was covered.
2:42:28 PM
MR. O'HARE replied that the primary focus was to the unserved
and underserved communities.
2:43:19 PM
MR. O'HARE reflected that emergency communication
responsibilities needed to be statewide; therefore, grant money
was being invested to identify tactical, emergency communication
packages to deploy to a community during an emergency. He
declared that there was also youth training to build up the
emergency management cadre.
^ALASKA MILITARY YOUTH ACADEMY
ALASKA MILITARY YOUTH ACADEMY
2:44:53 PM
McHUGH PIERRE, Deputy Commissioner/Chief of Staff, Office of the
Commissioner/Adjutant General, Department of Military &
Veterans' Affairs, spoke about the close working relationship of
DMVA with other state departments. He elaborated on the Alaska
Military Youth Academy and the National Guard's Youth ChalleNGe
Program. He pointed out that the program provided a stable,
dependable environment for learning success and discipline. He
clarified that a youth must be a dropout to enter the program.
He described the 5 month resident program and the 12 month non-
resident program, stating that it was voluntary. He pointed out
that the program annually served about 500 youth, and that a
high school diploma was available.
2:49:01 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MILLER asked about the state-wide communications
system.
2:49:19 PM
MR. O'HARE replied that Alaska Land Mobile Radio (ALMR) was a
component of the statewide communications, and that it
encompassed the Alaska road system. He established that the
Division of Homeland Security communications augmented the
communications as required in a specific area. He clarified
that its tactical packages would allow for communication with
any radio system, any satellite telephone, and any telephone
system.
2:50:11 PM
CO-CHAIR THOMPSON asked if ALMR would no longer be funded.
2:50:34 PM
MR. O'HARE, in response, said that there was a local, state, and
Department of Defense (DOD) agreement for DOD to take
responsibility of its areas, while the state and the local
communities take responsibility for assuring that the network
would exist.
2:51:37 PM
MAJOR GENERAL KATKUS, in response to Representative Austerman,
clarified that Alaska Aerospace Development Corporation (AADC)
would be moved to DMVA in July, 2011.
2:51:46 PM
REPRESENTATIVE AUSTERMAN asked if DMVA would now be presenting
the AADC justifications for its $40 million request, in addition
to the $80 million for bonding.
2:53:19 PM
MAJOR GENERAL KATKUS said that he was looking forward to the
conversation and shared that this would only be the total if
there was no federal funding available. He directed attention
to its great prospect as an investment for generating money and
job opportunities. He declared that he was still familiarizing
himself with AADC.
2:55:02 PM
MR. PIERRE said that AADC was viewed as a low competition
industry because only four states had these facilities. He
listed its benefits to many communities.
2:56:26 PM
REPRESENTATIVE CISSNA stated that DMVA provided the opportunity
to give communities an example of "how to do it right." She
declared a need for sharing the information.
2:58:06 PM
MAJOR GENERAL KATKUS summarized the Alaska National Guard
relationship with the active duty military, describing the two
week period following the July 28, 2010 crash of the C-17
aircraft. He clarified that there had been a new JBER commander
and a new third wing commander. There was a need for
coordination between the Air and Army National Guard with active
duty military, as there were questions of who was in charge, and
he listed all the military and state departments which came
together. He noted that during this time, there was also the
air show at JBER, and the deployment of 75 Air National Guard to
Iraq. He detailed the rescue mission for the C-17, and pointed
out that the small plane carrying Senator Ted Stevens crashed
near Dillingham, at this same time. The small place crash had
required a second helicopter to direct the rescue attempts, both
rescues occurring in bad weather. He shared that the Coast
Guard also came to help. He reported that, during the initial
rescue attempt, a Blackhawk helicopter crashed, though
fortunately with no injuries. A Chinook helicopter was then
delivered from Montana to remove the upside down Blackhawk,
while a C-130 hovered overhead to direct the maneuvers. He
summarized the events:
All in all we had one hell of a response and, sir,
that did not take coordination that you just pull out
of thin air. That's how we work together... Alaska's
a safer place for it.
3:03:34 PM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Special Committee on Military and Veterans' Affairs meeting was
adjourned at 3:03 p.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| DMVAAnnualReport2010_final[1].pdf |
HMLV 2/3/2011 1:00:00 PM |