APG Invites Community to Discuss Reductions

Aberdeen Proving Ground officials provided the following information.

As part of the force structure decision process, the Armywill conduct local community listening sessions to receive public input that will be considered in force structure decisions. Aberdeen Proving Ground will facilitate a public listening session on Jan. 29, 2015, at 6:00 p.m., at the Harford Technical High School Amoss Center in Bel Air, Md.

The Department of the Army announced in November the availability of the Finding of No Significant Impact for the Supplemental Programmatic Environmental Assessment for Army2020 Force Structure Realignment. The Army evaluated the environmental impacts of potential reductions of active component Soldiers and Army civilians (Army employees) at 30 installations. The Army determined that there are no significant impacts, other than socioeconomic impacts, and that preparation of an environmental impact statement is not required.

As a result of current budgetary projections, the Army must reduce its active component end strength to a level below that analyzed in the January 2013 Programmatic Environmental Assessment. The supplemental environmental assessment built on the 2013 assessment and analyzed the impacts of a potential reduction of an additional 70,000 Soldiers and associatedArmy civilians, down to an active component end-strength of 420,000. These reductions are necessary to meet the spending levels required by the Budget Control Act of 2011.

Nearly all Army installations will be affected in some way by the reductions. The 2013 assessment evaluated 21 Army installations and joint bases where Army stationing changes could result in the inactivation and restructuring of brigade combat teams, or a combined loss of 1,000 or more Army employees during the fiscal year 2013-2020 timeframe. With the deeper reductions now anticipated, the supplemental assessment evaluated the original 21 installations for greater cuts as well as nine additional installations.

Both the 2013 assessment and 2014 supplemental analyzed potential reductions at Fort Benning, Georgia; Fort Bliss, Texas; Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Fort Campbell, Kentucky; Fort Carson, Colorado; Fort Drum, New York; Fort Gordon, Georgia; Fort Hood, Texas; Fort Irwin, California; Fort Knox, Kentucky; Fort Lee, Virginia; Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri; Fort Polk, Louisiana; Fort Riley, Kansas; Fort Sill, Oklahoma; Fort Stewart, Georgia; Fort Wainwright, Alaska; Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska; Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia; Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington; and, United States Army Garrison (USAG) Hawaii – Schofield Barracks, Hawai`i. The supplemental also analyzed potential reductions at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland; Fort Belvoir, Virginia; Fort Huachuca, Arizona; Fort Jackson, South Carolina; Fort Leavenworth, Kansas; Fort Meade, Maryland; Fort Rucker, Alabama; Joint Base San Antonio – Fort Sam Houston, Texas; and USAG Hawaii – Fort Shafter, Hawai`i.

The Army received over 110,000 comments on the supplemental programmatic environmental assessment from members of the public, members of Congress, state and local officials, Tribal governments, regulators, state and local agencies and officials, special interest groups and non-profit organizations, civic groups, public service organizations, academia, and private businesses. Many of these comments emphasized the seriousness of potential economic impacts, which is consistent with the Army’s conclusion that the impacts would be significant at most installations. Socioeconomic impacts are of particular concern to the Army because they affect communities around Army installations and joint bases.

Decisions on which units and organizations will be selected for reductions have not yet been made. The analysis of environmental and socioeconomic impacts will help force structure decision-makers as they identify the specific units and organizations that will be reduced in the upcoming years.

The Army’s decision and final supplemental assessment documents may be accessed at:http://aec.army.mil/Services/Support/NEPA/Documents.aspx.

For further information on the supplemental programmatic environmental assessment, please contact the U.S. Army Environmental Command Public Affairs Office at (210) 466-1590 or toll-free 855-846-3940, or email usarmy.jbsa.aec.nepa@mail.mil.

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