Legislature(1997 - 1998)
04/04/1997 03:30 PM House MLV
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
HOUSE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON
MILITARY AND VETERANS AFFAIRS
April 4, 1997
3:30 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Beverly Masek, Chair
Representative Joe Ryan
Representative Pete Kott
Representative Eldon Mulder
Representative Richard Foster
Representative Reggie Joule
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative Irene Nicholia
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 22
"Inviting the United States Department of Defense to select Alaska
as the site to base and train military troops."
- MOVED SJR 22 OUT OF COMMITTEE
(* First public hearing)
PREVIOUS ACTION
BILL: SJR 22
SHORT TITLE: ALASKA MILITARY BASES
SPONSOR(S): SENATOR(S) KELLY, Phillips, Leman, Wilken, Miller,
Taylor, Mackie;
REPRESENTATIVE(S) Ivan,Foster
JRN-DATE JRN-PG ACTION
03/10/97 655 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRAL(S)
03/10/97 655 (S) STATE AFFAIRS
03/18/97 (S) STA AT 3:30 PM BELTZ ROOM 211
03/18/97 (S) MINUTE(STA)
03/19/97 779 (S) STA RPT 4DP
03/19/97 779 (S) DP: GREEN, DUNCAN, MACKIE, WARD
03/19/97 779 (S) ZERO FISCAL NOTE (S.STA)
03/21/97 (S) RLS AT 10:45 AM FAHRENKAMP RM 203
03/21/97 (S) MINUTE(RLS)
03/21/97 803 (S) RULES TO CALENDAR AND DP2 3/21/97
03/21/97 806 (S) READ THE SECOND TIME
03/21/97 806 (S) ADVANCED TO THIRD READING UNAN CONSENT
03/21/97 807 (S) READ THE THIRD TIME SJR 22
03/21/97 807 (S) PASSED Y15 N- E4 A1
03/21/97 810 (S) TRANSMITTED TO (H)
03/24/97 800 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRAL(S)
03/24/97 800 (H) MLV, STATE AFFAIRS
04/04/97 (H) MLV AT 3:00 PM CAPITOL 124
04/04/97 (H) CROSS SPONSOR(S): IVAN, FOSTER
WITNESS REGISTER
CHRIS NELSON, Staff
Senator Robin Taylor
Alaska State Legislature
State Capitol, Room 30
Juneau, Alaska 99801
Telephone: (907) 465-3873
POSITION STATEMENT: Gave Sponsor Statement for SJR 22
ACTION NARRATIVE
TAPE 97-2, SIDE A
Number 000
CHAIR BEVERLY MASEK called the House Special Committee on Military
and Veterans Affairs meeting to order at 3:30 p.m. Members present
at the call to order were Representatives Ryan, Kott, Mulder,
Foster and Joule. Representative Nicholia was absent.
Number 025
SJR 22 - ALASKA MILITARY BASES
CHAIR MASEK indicated the committee would consider SENATE JOINT
RESOLUTION NO. 22, "Inviting the United States Department of
Defense to select Alaska as the site to base and train military
troops."
CHRIS NELSON, Staff, Senator Robin Taylor, came forward to testify
on SJR 22. This legislation is in response to military base
closures and the future of Alaska's military bases. This
resolution would send a clear message to the Department of Defense
and the Clinton Administration that Alaska is open for business.
Alaska has a very robust base structure presently that offers
outstanding military value in a changing world environment. The
resolution speaks for itself and he hoped it would receive
favorable attention.
Number 150
REPRESENTATIVE REGGIE JOULE referred to the term "spectrum of
conflict" used and its meaning in the resolution.
MR. NELSON responded that this term was a military paradigm that is
used to analyze operations where they are in a given world
situation. The spectrum of conflict ranges from where the United
States is today which is peaceful competition between nations
through to global, thermal, nuclear war. They speak about putting
together a multi-spectrum force which is capable of being organized
and deployed to meet any kind of threat, anywhere in the world, at
any point in this spectrum of conflict, from low intensity conflict
up to mid-intensity conflict (which was fought in the Persian Gulf
with heavy mechanized forces and combined arms with large
formations), on up to the ultimate.
Number 228
REPRESENTATIVE JOULE asked that if more military was attracted to
Alaska for training would this mean Alaska would become more of a
target.
MR. NELSON responded that he didn't think so. If forces are
rotated in and out of the state, there would not be much of an
infrastructure to attack. They do not propose to expand the
infrastructure, but use to a fuller capacity the infrastructure
that currently exists. Alaska lost their division here. The sixth
Infantry Division was inactivated in 1995 and Alaska was left with
a single infantry brigade, a single airborne battalion on Fort
Richardson capable of housing a division if necessary. He didn't
think that increasing their forces would make Alaska anymore of a
target than it is currently. He noted that their existing Air
Force installation is a lucrative target presently.
Number 330
REPRESENTATIVE ELDON MULDER also noted that in the event of a
conflict, most of Alaska's personnel would have already been
deployed and he pointed out that Alaska's biggest target, the oil
pipeline, already exists. An attack on the pipeline would cripple
the United States in the long term.
REPRESENTATIVE JOULE added that he didn't disagree with the
resolution, but he worried about the amounts of people relocated to
the state and how this would change Alaska's representation made up
through reapportionment.
Number 454
MR. NELSON responded that what they'd probably see in the next
reapportionment is an adjustment in representation because they
have lost so many people. Alaska lost 2,000 solders and
approximately 3,000 dependents for a total loss of 5,000 off the
Fort Richardson military reservation when the division stood down.
If they can encourage people to come back up then they will
probably see more of a restoration of their previous status. A
problem exists in the entire base picture which is that they have
no aligned base structure with their reductions in force structure.
From the army's standpoint they went from 16 active component
divisions in 1988 to 10 active component divisions today. The
federal government might take down one more division, although they
can't decide which one.
MR. NELSON continued that the United States has gone from 890,000
soldiers on active duty in the army in 1988 to 495,000 in the
active component serving today. There has been these massive
reductions in force structure yet the United States has 12 maneuver
bases which means they have enough range area capable of supporting
a division. Out of the ten remaining divisions worldwide only
seven of them are based in the United States. Two of them are in
Germany and one in Korea. Twelve of these maneuver bases are
capable of supporting a division. Two of them are in Alaska, Fort
Wainwright and Fort Richardson. There are only seven divisions and
this is part of the problem. There is real pressure to take out
more maneuver bases. Senator Stevens has been one of the people
visionary enough to oppose this. This need may not be immediate,
but in some point in time the army will need maneuver bases. In
the future the United States will be so urbanized that they won't
be able to find these areas and get them back up.
Number 612
REPRESENTATIVE MULDER thought there was an additional reason to
justify attracting new troops to Alaska. There is a lot of
pressure on the armed guards, the armory and air force in relation
to downsizing. He believed that if they continued to see the army
and air force presence diminished the justification will be lost
for the need for a good army and air guard in Alaska as well. They
certainly work as a triad in the state. If there is a healthy
military component in the army guard this in turn helps rural
Alaska. He noted that the air and army guard are much more than
just a military presence.
Number 703
REPRESENTATIVE JOE RYAN added that the type of air space needed to
do the type of training required in the Lower 48 almost doesn't
exist any longer. Alaska has the component of uncontrolled air
space that can be made in military operation areas. This would be
the type of training needed in low level support situations. He
noted the simulated warfare opportunities because of the terrain in
Alaska.
Number 781
REPRESENTATIVE RYAN moved and asked unanimous consent to move SJR
22 out of committee with individual recommendations and
accompanying zero fiscal note. Hearing no objection, HJR 22 was
moved out of the House Special Committee on Military and Veterans
Affairs.
REPRESENTATIVE RICHARD FOSTER made mention that he and
Representative Ivan Ivan had been added as co-sponsors to this
bill. He also asked about some of the representatives taking tours
of Alaska's bases during the interim. This request would be
researched.
ADJOURNMENT
Number 854
CHAIR MASEK adjourned the House Special House Committee on Military
and Veterans Affairs meeting at 3:50 p.m.
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