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The Army, in releasing a final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for the proposed growth, realignment and stationings of new existing Army aviation assets, counters its earlier preference for JBLM, choosing Ft. Carson, CO. 

In Saturday's The News Tribune, the community learned the disappointing news:  some but now not all 5,700  soldiers and 8,260 family members will come here.  The current preference is that units already here, around 3,000 troops, will form a CAB and the new troops will go to Ft. Carson.

In responding to the announcement, spokespersons cited the region's lack of highway infrastructure to support additional troops - where clearly Ft. Carson's community could.  While our local region and state departments have cooperatively addressed impacts from growth and the cycling of deployments, needed and necessary new capacity is not even on the horizon. 

The Congress has recognized the imbalance of construction and growth on installations while feeder infrastructure off base languishes.  The National Research Council has published a just released report calling for DoD investment in off-base highways. 

We're glad to keep the 3,000 jobs, but acknowledge our state and regional lack of infrastructure development has lost out on 2,700 more jobs.

Military Affairs Committee

MEETING NOTICE


Date & Time: WEDNESDAY, Feb. 9, 7:30 – 9:00 a.m.
Place: La Quinta Inn, 1425 E. 27th St., Tacoma 98421
Price: $13.00 pre-paid on or before Feb. 4
$15.00 pre-paid after Feb. 5
$20.00 walk-ins/at the door
Information: Monique Shields, (253) 627.2175
RSVP: DUE 12 noon, Feb. 7 (Monday)
Register: Online Link

Featuring:
Milcon at JBLM. Victor Ramos, USACE, Program Manager for MILCON at JBLM. The Corps of Engineers is responsible for execution of the Military Construction Program at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM). The Military Construction Program at JBLM has experienced record years with respect to amount of construction contracts awarded per fiscal year. The FY12 and FY13 Military Construction Years will be new record years with respect to construction dollars awarded for JBLM. Ramos is the Army MILCON Program Manager for Seattle District and JBLM is the installation he supports. Ramos is responsible for assuring the District executes the projects at JBLM in accordance with the policies and procedures established by the Assistant Chief of Staff for Installation Management (ACSIM), USACE HQ and JBLM.

Employer Partnership of the Armed Forces. John Patterson, Program Support Manager, Military Personnel Services Corporation, Employer Partnership of the Armed Forces will share info about the tangible benefit to employers is they can hire an applicant already trained by the military--resultant reduced cost of hiring. Such applicants can document their training, have been drug-tested, know how to get up in the morning, and have had some leadership background. He’ll guide you on a simulated job-application. 1,200 nationwide employers have joined the Employer Partnership family.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Feb. 23, 7:30 – 9:00 a.m., La Quinta Inn, Register Here.

Special meeting with Cong. Adam Smith, Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee. The Committee retains exclusive jurisdiction for: defense policy generally, ongoing military operations, the organization and reform of the Department of Defense and Department of Energy, counter-drug programs, acquisition and industrial base policy, technology transfer and export controls, joint interoperability, the Cooperative Threat Reduction program, Department of Energy nonproliferation programs, and detainee affairs and policy.

AMC Abilene Chamber Community Support Award Go to this link for our application for community support of JBLM-McChord Field.

2010-11 Calendar

Chamber on Facebook You can now find an official Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber Facebook page.

The U.S. Department of Labor just awarded $4.8 million to WorkForce Central and its partnership which includes Pacific Mountain Workforce Development Council, Thurston County Economic Development Council, WA State Employment Security Department, and the City of Lakewood to help those relocated to Joint Base Lewis-McChord from closed military bases find new employment.

Of this awarded amount, $2.2 million is Pierce County’s share!

The first activity under this award is an impact study to identify existing skills needs and skill gaps within our region’s major industries so that we can utilize training dollars effectively by training individuals for available jobs now and in the near future.  This impact study will be led by the Thurston County EDC.

WorkForce Central and Pacific Mountain Workforce Development Council will administer these funds in their respective counties to assist 825 military spouses and civilian defense workers impacted by the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure action that closed military bases nationwide and resulted in the creation of JBLM in 2010. The majority of those affected are spouses who have left jobs to follow military members assigned to JBLM.

Services provided will include career coaching, case management, job training, supportive services and employment linkage. In addition, the grant will assist in identifying skill gaps in new and emerging industries critical to the economic growth of Pierce and Thurston Counties.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE for more information.

SPONSOR REGISTRATION

EXHIBITOR INFORMATION

Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber members are offered a discounted rate of $150 for the day.

Military veterans who seek civilian employment will not have to repeat training in areas where they are already experienced, under legislation introduced this week by Rep. Christine Rolfes, D-Bainbridge Island and Sen. Derek Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor.

Senate Bill 5307/House Bill 1417 and SB 5308/HB 1418 would evaluate the training men and women have received and apply it to educational and licensing requirements in the private sector.

These bills give credit where it’s due. Many military personnel have undergone highly specialized training and education in certain areas, so we should honor that for licensing requirements. Duplicating efforts doesn’t benefit anyone, Rolfes said.

The bills provide similar benefits for different groups of professions:

• SB 5308/HB 1418 develops a process to evaluate training for educational credit or professional licensing requirements for cosmetologists, barbers, manicurists, engineers, land surveyors and security guards.
• SB 5307/HB 1417 does the same for health professions, including osteopathic physicians’ assistants, physicians’ assistants, radiologic technologists, nursing assistants, respiratory care practitioners, health case assistants and surgical technologists.

The men and women in our armed forces not only acquire valuable skills, they often perform their jobs under the intense life-and-death pressures of combat conditions, Kilmer said. It’s a poor use of their time and money to ask folks to get retrained for things they’ve already learned just so they can get a professional license and get to work in a civilian position. This state should be rewarding knowledge, not seat time.

The Chamber supports vets getting credit for training taxpayers have already paid for and the vets have gained experience. This is part of the Chamber's legislative TEACH agenda.  The bills also have the support of legislators from Pierce County, home of Joint Base Lewis-McChord and a large military population.

Beginning November 1, getting a CDL just got easier for military personnel with specialized truck driver training, thanks to the new Military Training Certification Process.

The Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs (WDVA) and Washington State Department of Licensing (DOL) have joined forces to help veterans.  The Chamber has been a long time advocate for recognizing applicable military training for professional licenses and certifications.

Here’s how it works:

WDVA staff will assess the training a military member or veteran received in the military and verify whether it meets the required minimum commercial motor vehicle driver training requirements in Washington State. Once verification is made, a Commercial Drivers Military Training Certificate is provided.

Military member and veteran applicants must pass the applicable knowledge and skills test, pay all basic license and commercial drivers license fees, and present the Commercial Drivers Military Training Certificate to DOL in order to be issued a CDL.

Veterans have one year following their release from the military to take advantage of this new program.

“We often hear of the challenges our men and women in uniform face when they leave the military and try to find jobs that they qualify for,” said WDVA program manager Ric Price. “This is a tremendous step forward in removing a financial barrier to a smoother transition from military to civilian employment.”

In the past, veterans were required to attend additional and often expensive commercial drivers training programs to learn the skills they had used for years in the military. WDVA’s Helmets to Hardhats liaison Todd Mitchell questioned why this training had to be repeated and worked with a number of organizations to develop this new process. Thanks to the hard work of WDVA, DOL, Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce, Army Reserve Employer Relations, Washington Trucking Association, Teamsters Union and the Washington Defense Partnership, the transition from a military job to a civilian one will require one less step.

This new program allows WDVA to verify an individual CDL applicant has the required minimum commercial motor vehicle driver training requirements provided and documented by a military service.

"This is another instance of agencies working together to make things more seamless for Washingtonians,” said DOL director Liz Luce. “This program is important so that our service members can utilize the training they've received and get right to work in the civilian sector."

For additional information about this new program, contact WDVA at 1-800-562-2308 or contact Ric Price.
 
In addition to Ric Price, other team members who worked to accomplish this first licensing based on military training are Todd Mitchell, DVA, John Patterson, Army Reserve Employer Relations, Olivia Robinson, Washington Military Partnership and Gary Brackett, Tacoma-Pierce Co. Chamber. Thanks also go to the Washington Truckers Assn. and the Teamsters.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Department of Labor’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (DOL VETS)  agency Monday announced the launch of a 14-state pilot program to help veterans find employment after service to our nation.

Thomas Donohue, President and CEO, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said, Military veterans are prized by the business community not just for their technical expertise, but also for their leadership skills and dedication.

By leveraging a network of state and local chambers of commerce, this effort will expand on the U.S. Chamber’s “Hiring Our Heroes” initiative, which launched in 2008 to focus on the employment of wounded, ill and injured veterans as they transition from military service. This program involving the U.S. Chamber and DOL VETS will educate employers on the value of hiring veterans and help connect employers with veteran talent.

To support this program, Chamber executives will collaborate with the DOL VETS directors in their states to discuss sponsorship of events that offer veterans the opportunity to network with prospective employers. The pilot program launched in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Virginia and Georgia. The Chamber’s goal for 2011 is to expand the program into all 50 states.

Let there be no doubt, the Chamber is committed to our military heroes for the long haul, Donohue said. If we’re going to put America back to work and create 20 million jobs, it should start with the veterans who have protected our freedom.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world’s largest business federation representing the interests of more than 3 million businesses of all sizes, sectors, and regions, as well as state and local chambers and industry associations.

NOTICE:  The Environmental Protection Agency published today (Dec. 17, 2010) in the Federal Register (page 78993) an amended notice (see below) for a Department of the Army action. If you or your organization is commenting on this action, you now have until January 7, 2011 to provide comments to the Army.

EIS No. 20100438, Draft EIS, USA, CO, Programmatic--Growth, Realignment, and Stationing of Army Aviation Assets, Evaluates Environmental Impacts of Stationing Army Combat Aviation Brigade at Fort Carson, CO and Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA,.

Comment Period Ends:  01/07/2011, Contact: Mike Ackerman 210-295-2273.  Revision to FR Notice Published 11/05/2010; Extending Comment Period from 12/20/2010 to 01/07/2011.

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The Army (U.S. Army Environmental Command) is requesting input on proposed combat aviation brigade stationing.

All interested members of the public, including native communities and federally recognized Native American Tribes, federal, state, and local agencies, are invited to submit written comments to identify environmental issues and concerns to be analyzed in the programmatic environmental impact statement (PEIS). Written comments will be accepted until Oct. 10. Comments can be sent to Public Affairs Office, U.S. Army Environmental Command, 5179 Hoadley Road, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 21010, e-mailed to:

APGR-USAECNEPA@conus.army.mil
or faxed to (410) 436-1693.

The Army needs to increase the availability of rotary wing assets to meet current and future national security requirements and intends to prepare a PEIS to evaluate the environmental impacts associated with the proposed growth, realignment, and stationing of new and existing Army aviation assets.

The proposed action includes the consolidation and reassignment of existing aviation units, and the establishment and stationing of one or more Combat Aviation Brigades (CAB). This will allow the Army to organize existing aviation assets to promote more effective training and force management.

The PEIS will include the construction and renovation of garrison facilities and additional training needed to support the establishment and realignment of aviation units.

The Army is considering the following alternatives in the PEIS:

(1) Realign and consolidate existing aviation elements of up to a full CAB at Fort Carson, Colo., or Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.;

(2) Implement those actions discussed in alternative 1; in addition, establish a new CAB and station it at Fort Carson or Joint Base Lewis-McChord; and

(3) No-Action Alternative, which would retain the Army aviation force structure at its current levels at their current locations in their current configuration.

No more than one additional CAB would be assigned to either of the stationing locations being considered. As part of alternatives 1 and 2, aviation units would conduct training on existing training land at the Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site, Colo., or the Yakima Training Center, Wash., to maintain training proficiency and support integrated training with ground units. Land acquisition is not being considered as part of this action.

Fort Carson and Joint Base Lewis-McChord are the only stationing alternatives that meet all of the Army's stationing requirements for new CAB stationing. These locations provide an existing runway and airfield, provide adequate maneuver and airspace for CAB operations, and are equipped with existing aviation training ranges.

Fort Carson and Joint Base Lewis-McChord are the only major installations that have three or more ground maneuver brigade combat teams, allowing the Army to maximize integrated air/ground training. Neither site has a CAB dedicated to provide aviation support for training.

The PEIS will assess, consider, and compare the direct, indirect, and cumulative environmental effects from the stationing of up to one additional CAB at each installation. The primary environmental issues to be analyzed will include potential impacts to air quality, soils, airspace, cultural resources, natural resources, noise, and socioeconomics. In addition, the Army will consider those issues identified by the public and other organizations as the part of the scoping process.

Predicted environmental impacts associated with the implementation of the proposed action at Fort Carson and Joint Base Lewis-McChord include increases in aviation activity, potential for wildlife disturbance, as well as additional impacts to soils, biological resources, surface water, and vegetation will be analyzed. Additional vehicle traffic and growth in school population associated with an increase in Soldier populations will also be analyzed.

At the Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site, cumulative impacts to soils are predicted to be manageable with current dust control mitigation techniques. At the Yakima Training Center, a higher risk of wildfires is anticipated with potential for vegetation and habitat degradation.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: Public Affairs Office, U.S. Army Environmental Command, 5179 Hoadley Road, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 21010-5401; (410) 436-2556.

The Army has announced its preference to add 5,700 soldiers and 8,260 family members to Fort Lewis.

The Department of the Army announces the availability of an FEIS for Fort Lewis and YTC that analyzes the environmental impacts of implementing the decisions in the 2007 Army Growth and Force Structure Realignment Programmatic EIS (also referred to as the Grow The Army PEIS or GTA PEIS) and other ongoing Army realignment and stationing initiatives, such as the potential for Combat Aviation Brigade (CAB) stationing that may potentially effect Fort Lewis and YTC.

The Proposed Action could station up to 5,700 Soldiers and their Families at Fort Lewis. The Proposed Action includes the stationing of 1,900 Soldiers directed under the GTA PEIS, the potential additional stationing of up to 1,000 combat service support (CSS) Soldiers, and the potential stationing of a medium Combat Aviation Brigade (CAB) of approximately 2,800 Soldiers for a total of up to 5,700 Soldiers.

After reviewing the alternatives analyzed in the FEIS, the Army has identified Alternative 4 as its preferred alternative, which includes all components of the GTA, CSS, and CAB alternatives (up to a total of 5,700 Soldiers and 8,260 family members).

The Army announces its intent to prepare a Programmatic EIS for the proposed growth, realignment and stationing of new and existing Army aviation assets. The proposed action includes the consolidation and reorganization of existing aviation units, and the establishment of one or more Combat Aviation Brigades (CABs). The proposed action will increase the availability of rotary wing assets to meet current and future national security requirements and will allow the Army better to organize existing aviation assets to promote more effective training and force management. The PEIS will evaluate the environmental impacts associated with the proposed action, which includes the construction and renovation of garrison facilities and additional training needed to support the establishment and realignment of aviation units.

To access the full text of the Federal Register announcements, go online to the Federal Register and search for “Army” and “Fort Lewis” for the FEIS and “Army” and “CAB” for the programmatic EIS. You may need to scroll down a few actions to find the right link.

The FEIS is available on the JBLM Public Works website here.

This past March the World Trade Organization (WTO) issued a final ruling in the U.S. Government's four year trade case against the European Union for providing billions of dollars in launch aid and subsidies to EADS/Airbus.

To date, these illegal subsidies have contributed to the loss of more than 65,000 U.S. aerospace jobs. However, the Department of Defense does not plan to take into account these billions of dollars in illegal subsidies -- and the significant pricing advantage they provide to EADS/Airbus - in the KC-X Tanker competition.

To address this issue, Representatives Inslee (D-WA), DeLauro (D-CT) and Tiahrt (R-KS) plan to offer an amendment this week to the FY 2011 National Defense Authorization Bill to address the illegal subsidies and level the competitive playing field. The amendment requires the Department of Defense to take into account illegal subsidies, as determined by the WTO, in major defense acquisition programs - including the KC-X Tanker competition.

Please log onto The Real American Tankers website here and take action today by sending a letter to your U.S. Representative and Senators to express your strong support for the Inslee-DeLauro-Tiahrt Fair Defense Competition Amendment.

With the DoD beginning the mandated 11th QDR Compensation Review, you may wonder how they do it. Not as easy as it seems.

In testimony April 28, before the Subcommittee on Personnel for the Senate’s Committee on Armed Services, Brenda Farrell, Dir., Defense Capabilities and Management, said: “The DoD’s compensation package…is a myriad of pays and benefits.  . . . Comparisons between (civilian and military) compensation involve both challenges and limitations.  . . . Also, nonmonetary considerations complicate such comparisons.”  Want to read more: see GAO’s publication GAO-10-666T.

And, if you are really into statistical studies and want to fully understand what will be involved in this upcoming compensation study, go to GAO’s publication GAO-10-561R.

Yesterday, EADS/Airbus, the French-based aerospace company, declared they would enter the competition. We now have a clear contest between Boeing and EADS/Airbus as to who supplies America's next Tanker.

EADS North American Chairman Ralph Crosby also told reporters that "it doesn't matter what your readers think" about this competition. We believe what you think matters a lot. You have an opportunity to send a message to Congress that it DOES matter what you and your family and friends think.

In the last several days, nearly 8,000 people signed up on TheRealAmericanTankers. You can make a difference today by forwarding this blog and encouraging them to sign the online petition in support of a Boeing designed and built Tanker.

Can you help get to 20,000 supporters by the end of this week?

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The Mililtary Affairs Committee's monthly Forum featured Joint Base Lewis-McChord Garrison Commander Col. Tommy Brittain (Army) and Deputy Commander Col. Kenny Weldon (Air Force) reporting on the implementation of the joint base operations.

Among the points of information, they announced a new website for Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

Complementing this focus on joint basing was Jack Murphy, Associate with Booz, Allen, Hamilton, the local representative for the national effort to implement the 12 joint bases.

The recent announcement by the Governors of eight states about their coalition is a seeming politization of the federal defense procurement process - like politics haven't anything to do with this (or any) purchase of military equipment.  More?  Still more!

Looks something like a reaction to an effort by several Southern states governors to establish a multi-state coalition for Northrop/EADS bid.

You could think the Southern governors were reacting to disparaging remarks about the quality of aerospace workers down South as opposed to those in the PNW.  Their effort seems similar to the Aerospace Futures Alliance here.