BBRACRAC hholdsolds hhearingsearings oonn bbasease cclosureslosures — PPageage 3 UUSAKASAKA rrespondsesponds ttoo EEbeyebeye rriceice sshortagehortage — PPageage 6 ((ChiefChief WWarrantarrant OOffiffi ccerer MMikeike PPoseyosey aandnd sson,on, HHudsonudson sspendpend ssomeome ttimeime aatt tthehe bbeach.each. FFamilyamily sstresstress ccanan aariserise wwhenhen pparentsarents bbringring wworkork hhome.ome. EEvenven iinn oourur iislandsland ssetting,etting, sstresstress iiss ppossible.ossible. FForor mmoreore ccoverage,overage, sseeee PPagesages 44-5.)-5.) ((PhotoPhoto bbyy EElizabethlizabeth DDavie)avie) wwww.smdc.army.mil/KWAJ/Hourglass/hourglass.htmlww.smdc.army.mil/KWAJ/Hourglass/hourglass.html Letter to the Editor Thanks for the many efforts for Kwajalympics I want to take a moment to express my work, from participants to spectators. Pickler for continuing this annual tradition. thanks for the extra efforts of so many in Thanks to each team manager for coor- Thank you to Neil Dye and the U.S. Army the success of the 2005 Kwajalympics. I dinating and leading our overall objective, Kwajalein Atoll Command for supporting wanted to start by thanking my Committee teamwork. The committee appreciated the "Big Voice." Dye, you did a wonder- for making this event go off extremely well. your hard work, time, and leadership. ful job. Thank you COL Stipe for the use You could truly see team spirit at its fi nest Thanks to Community Activities, Dining of the public announcement system; it this last week, which was one of the many Services and the Emergency Medi- added so much to the 2005 Kwajalym- goals set by the Committee. Dana Lum, cal Technicians for your support; Paula pics. Joey Holley and Amber Morse were the Cummings for distributing popsicles; It is my hope that all who attended this foundation of this event and its success. Stephanie Berlind, Ann Elise and Marcy year’s event enjoyed their experience These three made leading this effort a Peterson for creating the annual trophy with fellow co-workers, contractors and pleasure. Your thankless hours put into and all the participants of the Talent Show Marshallese friends. Kommol tata to all making this day great is greatly appreci- for making it one to remember. who made this a great experience for ated. Way to raise the bar for next year! Thank you to COL Jerry Brown and everyone involved. Thanks to the 22 event leaders and Ike Richardson for the initial vision to volunteers for your personal time and ef- begin this team-building event. Additional — Krystal Peterson fort. Everyone involved enjoyed your hard thanks to COL Beverly Stipe and John 2005 Kwajalympics Chair New AFN Kwajalein radio line-up FM 99.9 Country PATIO SALE ADS FM 101.1 Classic rock/contemporary If you are having a patio sale on a Saturday, FM 102.1 National Public Radio turn in your ad for Wednesday’s paper. AM 1224 Music, sports, news Sunday and Monday patio sale ads will be For complete listings go to: printed in Saturday’s paper. K:\Community Services\AFN Classifi ed ads signed. We will edit for Associated Press style and, if you are due for Wednesday’s paper by noon, Saturday The Hour glass, P.O. Box 23, Local; or and for Saturday’s paper by noon,Thursday. [email protected] Limit ads to 50 words. Jest For Fun Ron Tsubamoto The Kwajalein Hourglass Commanding Offi cer...COL Beverly Stipe Acting Public Affairs Offi cer..Polli Keller Editor...............................Nell Drumheller Assistant Editor......................Mig Owens Graphics Designer....................Dan Adler Reporter............................Elizabeth Davie Intern............................Brandon Stevison Circulation....................... Will O’Connell The Hourglass is named for the insignia of the U.S. Army 7th Infantry Division, which liberated the island from the forces of Imperial Japan on Feb 4, 1944. The Kwajalein Hourglass is an authorized publication for military personnel, federal employees, contractor workers and their families assigned to USAKA. Contents of the Hourglass are not necessarily offi cial views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. Government, Department of Defense, Department of the Army or USAKA. It Correction is published Wednesdays and Saturdays in accordance with Army Regulation 360-1 and using a network printer by Kwajalein Range The Hourglass misidentifi ed one of the men in the back-page photo of the May Services editorial staff, P.O. Box 23, APO AP 96555. 25 issue. The man in the center was listed as Les Alibi and should have been Phone: Autovon 254-3539; local 53539. Les Saulibio. The photo credit should have gone to Jan Waddell. The Hourglass Printed circulation: 2,000 regrets the error. The Kwajalein Hourglass 2 Saturday, May 28, 2005 BRAC commission hears how Army realignment will build future force By Eric Cramer Fort Bliss, Texas; Fort Lewis, Wash. Specially sworn in to testify, Lt. Army News Service and Fort Shafter, Hawaii. Gen.Roger Schultz, director of the College told the commis- Army National Guard, told the com- The planned closures of many Army sion these major moves will take mission the states have cooperated Reserve and National Guard centers place over a period of years. with the Army’s analysis of which sites and several military installations and Principi also asked if the movement will be closed under the current plan. the return of units from overseas of large units to Fort Bliss might “These realignments started from were among the primary concerns overload the area’s communities, or fi eld submissions,” Schultz said. expressed when Army offi cials testi- lead to water-supply problems in the “They have been line-time detail re- fi ed before the Base Realignment and area’s dry climate. viewed by the state leaderships.” Closure Commission May 18. “All of this is informed by the Harvey said that the new joint cen- Under the Army’s current rec- national military defense strategy, ters will be constructed in the same ommendations, the 2005 BRAC which adds 10 brigades to the Army areas as the old bases slated for would close 15 installations, seven force structure and 34 brigades to the closure. “We plan them for the same leased sites, 176 Army Reserve in- National Guard and Reserve,” Schoo- demographic area, within a 50-mile stallations and 211 Army National maker said. He said Fort Bliss offered radius of where they were before,” he Guard facilities. It will also create the right mix of maneuver space, un- said. seven training “centers of excel- restricted airspace, free radio spec- “There are two points about this,” lence,” seven joint technical and trum for the use of Unmanned Aerial Schoomaker said. “The fi rst is the ob- research facilities and four joint Vehicles and access to sister services. vious opportunity to improve training material and logistics facilities. Commissioner Sue Ellen Turner and retention. The second, as we look Giving primary information for the asked if the closure of Red River at this movement we would expect to Army were Secretary of the Army Army Depot, Texas, called for in the see divestiture of the old sites, and Francis Harvey, Army Chief of Staff BRAC plan is a good idea in the wake direct our funding into these 125 Gen. Peter Schoomaker and Deputy of media reports of diffi culty fi elding centers.” Assistant Secretary of the Army for items such as up-armored Humvees. Infrastructure Development Craig Harvey said the Army has an excess College. production capacity, and it will be Combining bases “The recommendations of BRAC enhanced by creating “centers of ex- Commissioner James Hill said he 2005 will holistically transform the cellence” in specifi c fi elds. was pleased to see DoD “get it right” current infrastructure into a stream- “In the past 50 years, the highest by combining Pope Air Force Base lined portfolio of installations with number of direct labor hours we’ve and Fort Bragg N.C., in the cur- an 11-percent increase in military ever used is 25 million. By closing rent BRAC proposal. He asked why value which, thereby, enables the Red River and creating centers of ex- similar steps aren’t planned for Mc- operational Army to better meet the cellence, we can surge to 50 million Chord Air Force Base and Fort Lewis, challenges of the 21st-century secu- direct labor hours,” he said. Wash. rity environment,” Harvey told the “The big difference is the Air Force’s commission. intended use of Pope. They’ll be leav- Transforming ing only a small element there,” Col- Commissioner Samuel Skinner lege said. “So it makes sense to have Rebase troops asked about the closure of National a single entity under Army control. Former Secretary of Veterans Af- Guard and Reserve centers, and McChord will retain a large Air Force fairs Anthony Principi, who chairs their consolidation into joint centers. presence.” the commission, started the ques- “I guess it’s like ‘Field of Dreams.’ He said the current study is to de- tioning by asking Schoomaker about You’re saying that if you build these termine how the bases might share the return of troops from overseas. world-class facilities, you hope the suppliers and support services. “With regard to rebasing the Guard will come,” Skinner said. Hill also returned to the subject of 70,000 overseas troops, they Schoomaker said the Army is increasing the troop numbers at don’t add up to 70,000 in the continuing to work toward a “one- Fort Bliss, asking if there were envi- numbers we have,” Principi said. Army” concept. ronmental issues to address. Schoo- Schoomaker said the Army’s portion “The Guard and Reserve are in- maker said the environmental issues of the 70,000 troops to be rebased is creasingly important to that one-Army there are minimal, and the base will only 47,000, of which 22,000 are in concept,” he said.