Savannah Business Report April 28 - May 4, 2003
Beaufort Chamber Putting Money Behind Base Protection
By Ted Carter, TBR Staff
The Greater Beaufort Chamber of Commerce's Military Affairs Committee is doing what any organization does when it needs to influence the federal government: Get its hands on some money.
So far, it's gained $100,000 in contributions from the South Carolina General Assembly and the Beaufort County Council for its effort to protect the Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, Marine Corps Training Depot Parris Island and the Naval Hospital Beaufort from falling victim to an upcoming round of base closings. "We'll do a number of things" with the money, including economic research and community awareness efforts, said Libby Barnes, Chamber president & CEO.
The BRAC committee, whose members are nominated by the president and must be confirmed by the Senate, will begin its work in earnest in May 2005 when it receives a list of installations the secretary of defense proposes closing or realigning. In September of 2005, the panel submits its findings and recommendations to the president. Within a couple months, the president must present them to Congress for an up-or-down vote.
The magnitude of this round of closings is stunning, Barnes said. "It's supposed to be as significant in size as the last four combined."
BRAC members will be especially alert for opportunities to realign bases for "jointness" as a way to increase operational efficiency and save money, Barnes said.
The General Assembly has earmarked $400,000 to protect the state's military installations in the Base Realignment & Closure process that concludes at the end of 2005. Of that amount, its allocated $200,000 for Columbia, Sumter, Charleston and Beaufort to split, Barnes said. State lawmakers have not decided how they will use the remaining $200,000, she added.
The County Council has earmarked $50,000 to go with the $50,000 contribution from the state. The Chamber will also seek contributions from corporations and business leaders, Barnes said.
The cities of Beaufort, Port Royal, Hilton Head and Bluffton have already been approached for financial help, Barnes said. "We've got some very positive feedback."
Some of the money raised will fund efforts of the Chamber's Military Enhancement committee and its MAG 31 Group. Their tasks include working the halls of the Pentagon, Barnes said.
The MAG 31 Group is named for the Air Station's Marine Aircraft Group, the air-fighting component housed at the Air Station. Col. Wes Jarmulowicz, a retired former commander of the Air Station, heads the Chamber's MAG 31 Group.
A 2001 study by Georgia Southern University estimated the annual economic impact of the Air Station, the Parris Island recruit training depot and Naval Hospital at $390 million. Georgia Southern and the University of South Carolina Beaufort are doing an in-depth update of that study, Barnes said.
"We think it will be significantly higher than $390 million," she said of the new survey's economic impact estimates.
Globalsecurity.org, an organization that studies military planning and other issues relating to warfare, said the Air Station's importance has grown in the post-Cold War era. It attributes this to the recognition of the growing role of air power in conflicts in the developing world.
One of the Air Station's runways is 12,000 feet long; the other is 8,000 feet. Another 8,000-foot runway could be added easily. In fact, there is room for expansion of all of the facilities, says GlobalSecuirty.org.
Like Savannah's Hunter Army Airfield, the Air Station is an alternative Space Shuttle landing site for NASA, notes GlobalSecurity.org.
The 1993 BRAC recommended closure of Jacksonville, Fla.'s Naval Air Station Cecil Field and realignment of all of its aircraft and associated personnel to Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C., Marine Corp Air Station Beaufort and Naval Air Station Oceana, Va. In 1995, the BRAC Commission revised its recommendations regarding realignment of Cecil Field assets by redirecting all aircraft and associated personnel to other naval air stations.
GlobalSecuirty.org reports that after weighing the operational, environmental, and cost implications of relocating F/A-18 aircraft from Cecil Field to other Naval and Marine Corps installations, the Department of the Navy decided to realign two F/A-18 fleet squadrons to Beaufort and nine F/A-18 fleet squadrons and the Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS) to Naval Air Station Oceana.
Globalsecurity.org notes that the Beaufort station's growing importance has led to new construction on the installation that includes an Enlisted Club and a $17.4 million barracks project.
Parris Island occupies a key place in the Marine Corps as well. It provides basic training for male recruits from east of the Mississippi River and for all of the nation's female recruits.
Naval Hospital Beaufort consists of the hospital and two branch medical clinics - one at Parris Island and the other at the Air Station (MCAS).
Naval Hospital Beaufort is one of the few military facilities that is a complete military compound in itself, rather than a tenant of a larger command. Within the grounds of the Naval Hospital are 53 family housing units, two barracks, a Navy Exchange retail store, gas station, convenience store and package shop.
The Naval Hospital provides general medical, surgical, and emergency services to all active duty Navy and Marine Corps personnel and their dependents in the area, as well as retired military personnel, a total population of about 35,000 beneficiaries, the hospital says.
Copyright © 2003, The Business Report, Inc
