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SIERRA VISTA -- Arizona's military installations are foremost critical to the nation's defense infrastructure and equally as important economic treasures for the state, Gov. Janet Napolitano said Wednesday.
As the Department of Defense wants more installations to be capable to do joint and combined training, Fort Huachuca is fortunately one place where it is being done and there can be expansion, she told more than 100 people who attended a community forum.
Saying she will accept all the 27 recommendations of the Military Facilities Task Force she appointed, the governor added that one of the main recommendations is to establish a permanent Military Affairs Commission, as well as a special fund that will help the state look beyond the upcoming Base Realignment and Closure round.
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Tailoring her comments to Fort Huachuca, Napolitano said the Department of Defense will be making major changes that will impact the country for the next 25 years, and Arizona has to be ready to respond to them. The governor has held other community forums in which her remarks pertained to other installations, such as in Tucson Wednesday when she talked about Davis-Monthan Air Force base.
"There will be an increased emphasis on joint and combined training," Napolitano said.
Arizona has the type of installations, along with good training weather, that can take advantage of different ways the defense establishment will be operating, she said.
Fort Huachuca is already in a unique position to take advantage of coming changes , Napolitano said.
"The base will be a major player," she added.
The intelligence training, especially developing unmanned aerial vehicle programs, is something the military needs, Napolitano said.
The post is the home of the Army's Intelligence Center, where not only soldiers, but sailors, airmen and Marines are also trained. The fort is also where the Army has its Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Training Center. An expansion of that complex is under way and will make it the largest pilotless plane training facility in the world.
"There is no better place to test unmanned aerial vehicles than Fort Huachuca," Napolitano said.
But having said how wonderful Arizona's military installations are, the governor said there can be no sitting down and thinking the bases in the state are secured.
Arizona Legislature members will have to be educated on the importance to national security and the state's economy keeping all the installations opened, she said.
There are concerns that development encroachment near military installations, especially those with air fields, may doom some bases such as Davis-Monthan and Luke Air Force Base, the governor said. But there are other encroachments, such as communication development that could harm Fort Huachuca, where a fairly uncluttered radio frequency and electro-magnetic environment is important for testing.
To help local areas be able to control different types of development, Napolitano said state statutes need to be changed.
In response to a written question from the audience, she said one issue that the legislators will have to address in their session next month is to give counties authority to control wildcat subdivisions.
A number of written questions were read by Sierra Vista City Manager Chuck Potucek.
The governor noted that the state will have to put money up to ensure the military installations are protected. A startup amount of $1 million will be part of a package she will ask the legislators to approve.
The governor also said that 5 percent of state taxes paid by active duty, National Guard, reservists and military retirees, will be put in the special fund to help provide grants to protect military installations from encroachment. The estimated amount the 5 percent will bring into the fund is $3.5 million every year.
She has appointed a full-time military adviser and is looking at opening a special office in Washington, D.C., that will represent the state on many fronts and will include a consultant on military matters.
As for the state's Military Affairs Commission, the governor said she will name some of the members and the leaders of the Legislature will name others and hopefully the commission will be in operation by the end of January.
When asked if she will appoint Randall Groth, Arizona's civilian aide to the secretary of the Army, to the commission, she smiled and said she would name the best people she can find to the commission.
Groth, who heads the University of Arizona South in Sierra Vista, said, "I didn't ask that question," which brought laughter from the crowd and the governor.
When asked which military installation needs the most help, Napolitano drew laughter when she responded, "I love all the bases." But in a serious tone, the governor said land encroachment problems around Davis-Monthan and Luke are the most serious but she added no installation will be ignored.
The selling point to keep the installations opened and able to take on more missions has to be stressed to show the decision-makers in Washington, D.C., the importance a military base, such as Fort Huachuca, has to national security, Napolitano said.
Marine Lt. Gen. Bob Johnston, who co-chaired the governor's Military Facilities Task Force, also was at Wednesday's forum.
Noting the post already has other military services on it, after the governor finished speaking, he said after the forum that Fort Huachuca's UAV program is going to be one of the main reasons of protecting the post from closure.
Napolitano said she believes the post can take on additional high-tech missions.
There are concerns in the area about water issues. The governor said the state, working with local governments and with the federal government, can help fund projects to ensure the environment is protected, especially the San Pedro River.
Ensuring the military installations are protected from closure in the next BRAC round or in any future ones, also is important to the state's fiscal well being, Napolitano said.
The military provides 83,000 jobs in Arizona and of that number nearly 30 percent, 24,415, are directly attributed to Fort Huachuca, she said.
Of the $5.7 billion in economic impact from the military installations in Arizona, the post is the largest at $1.47 billion, or slightly more than 25 percent, she noted.
The state has to be able to tell the military's success story in Arizona and in the country, which is why she said she will open an office in Washington, D.C. Of all the states, Arizona is one of six that does not have a presence in the national capital, Napolitano said later during a short press conference.
State offices are located at a building called the Hall of States in Washington, D.C.
"There is an Arizona flag there and no office, but soon there will be an office, too," Napolitano said.
Other issues
On other matters discussed with the Herald/Review, Gov. Janet Napolitano said Wednesday:
HERALD/REVIEW senior reporter Bill Hess can be reached at 515-4615 or by e-mail at bill.hess@svherald.com.
Ezai I. Martinez wrote on Jun 24, 2009 7:58 PM: