Installation managers: Excess assets drain on war effort
By Michael Norris
October 29, 2004
WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Oct. 29, 2004) -- The Army has taken 165,000 acres off its inventory in the past year, and a senior official called this a "monumental achievement."
"There is a huge effort to get excess real estate off the government rolls," said Joseph Whitaker, deputy assistant secretary of the Army for installations and housing.
Whitaker was one of eight senior Defense leaders gathered Oct. 25 for a forum at the Association of the U.S. Army annual meeting titled "Our Installations Supporting the War: Relevant and Ready."
Panel leader Geoffrey G. Prosch, the principal deputy assistant secretary of the Army for installations and environment, introduced the panel, also composed of:
. Raymond F. DuBois, deputy undersecretary of Defense for installations and environment;
. Raymond Fatz, deputy assistant secretary of the Army for environment, safety and occupational health;
. William Armbruster, deputy assistant secretary of the Army for privatization and partnerships;
. Lt. Gen. Carl Strock, commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers;
. Maj. Gen. Larry Lust, Army assistant chief of staff for installation management;
. Maj. Gen. Ronald L. Johnson, director of the Army's Installation Management Agency.
Whitaker led off, citing statistics from the Army Installation Status Report 2004, which was described as a "report card" for measuring installation readiness. Efficiencies that contribute to readiness include disposing of surplus assets, he said.
To ensure infrastructure is well utilized, he said, "If you build a square foot, you have to take down a square foot." Old structures can be "money drains," he added.
Whitaker explained the success of programs permitting Army facilities that have become outmoded because of increasing urbanization to trade properties so hampered training maneuvers could continue. For instance, there have been fewer flyovers at some facilities because of encroaching suburbanization. Property swaps worked out with the private sector contribute to readiness, he said.
"We must meet the needs of the present without compromising the needs of the future," Fatz said when he next took the podium. "It's not only about taking care of today's Soldiers, but also tomorrow's Soldiers."
Fatz said the Army has a better record as steward of the environment than is commonly recognized, and that it needed to better publicize its efforts.
He cited diverting wastewater to irrigate golf courses at Fort Carson and the Army's use of clean vehicle technology for transportation shuttles in Fayetteville as two examples.
The upshot, Fatz said, is the Army "wants to build partnerships with the community that strengthen the military."
"The Army is changing the way it's doing business and doing it while we are at war," said Armbruster. "We're restructuring our overseas footprint and following the president and secretary of defense's lead. We're utilizing best business practices while working with the commercial sector."
He said partnering with the private sector in family housing had "a great return for taxpayers, Army families and installations.
"It's also a win for local communities," he emphasized, explaining how many sub-contracts go to the local labor force.
Armbruster said 1,800 new housing units had been built with private partnerships at Forts Hood, Lewis, Carson and Meade under the pilot program, a figure he said was beyond the 800 structures built by the Army itself over the last 20 years.
"Ninety-two percent of Army housing will be privatized," Lust said, adding the remaining 8 percent are unfeasible for development because of location.
The Army Installation Management Agency is trying in instill a common level of support for the troops, Johnson said, by providing for consistency and predictability in service delivery across Army installations worldwide. He said he had identified 54 services in determining how to provide for equitable funding distribution.
Quoting the Army chief of staff, Johnson said, "The Army is like a car rolling down the road as you tinker with the engine. That's where we are today."
"Combat power begins at home," said DuBois, "We need to stay focused on that as we continue with the war on terrorism and get ready for the next phase of the [Base Realignment and Closure Act].
Ultimately, he said, the realignments will provide better training, equipment and Soldiers by reallocating resources. "It not only saves tax money, it saves lives," he added.
"Some people said because of 9/11, transformation had to be put on the back burner," DuBois said. "Secretary [of Defense Donald] Rumsfeld has said it has made it an even more urgent priority."
(Editor's note: Michael Norris serves as assistant editor for the Pentagram newspaper at Fort Myer, Va.)
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
