5 July 2004

Lieutenant Governor Moore meets with Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission Chairman

Lieutenant Governor John Moore traveled to Washington, D.C., on July 1, to meet with Anthony J. Principi, the Chairman of the Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC). In his meeting with Chairman Principi, the Lieutenant Governor continued to underscore the strong military value of Kansas’ major military installations.

“I assured the BRAC Commission Chairman that all of our bases are well prepared to perform the expanded missions recommended by the Department of Defense (DOD) and that military personnel newly assigned to Kansas will be completely welcome to our state,” Lieutenant Governor Moore said. “I also advised the Chairman that leaders in the Parsons-Labette County area and I continue to consider the impact of the recommended closure of the Kansas Army Ammunition Plant and may recommend a privatization plan in the future.”

Lieutenant Governor Moore, who serves as chair of the Governor’s Strategic Military Planning Commission, was accompanied by John Armbrust, the Commission’s Executive Director. The Commission was chartered in January, 2004, to protect and expand the military presence in Kansas through the Base Realignment and Closure process. Secondly, it is to strengthen state and local government support of the military in Kansas.

The DOD recommendations to the BRAC Commission for Kansas included:

• Return of the 1st Infantry Division to Fort Riley along with an aviation battalion
• Additional detention responsibilities at Ft. Leavenworth
• The 190th Air National Guard Air Refueling Wing at Forbes Field would receive twelve KC-135R air refueling tankers
• The 22nd Air Force Air Refueling Wing at McConnell Air Force Base would receive an additional twenty-one KC-135R air refueling tanker aircraft.

Governor Kathleen Sebelius said, “We will actively follow the BRAC process to its conclusion, with the real expectation that the Department of Defense’s sound strategic recommendations regarding our major bases will be adopted by the BRAC Commission.” She continued, “Kansas has a long tradition of supporting our military, and implementing these recommendations will only strengthen that relationship.”

For the last six months, Lieutenant Governor Moore has also chaired the Fort Riley Task Force, composed of school board members, local officeholders and state officials who have addressed the transportation, education, workforce development, childcare and housing issues connected to the return of the 1st Infantry Division at Fort Riley.

“We have heard from Army leaders that our task force’s efforts at Fort Riley are being modeled in other states that will receive additional forces,” Moore said. “Earlier this year Governor Sebelius announced the Military Bill of Rights, which has set an effective tone for the state’s relationship with our troops. Combining the bill of rights and the work of the task force, Kansas has confirmed its status as one of the most military friendly states in the country. We believe the DOD’s recommendations reflect an awareness and appreciation of that status.”