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.