MILITARY IN MICHIGAN

For over 150 years, the people of Michigan have answered the call to serve our nation's defense. During the Second World War, Michigan became known as the "Arsenal of Democracy." Our state's heroes are not just those who flew the planes, drove the tanks, or commanded the ships, but include those who built them as well. Today, thousands of people from Michigan serve in our nation's armed forces.

Today, Michigan remains a leader in terms of modern manufacturing technology, research, development and engineering. These capabilities make Michigan ideally suited to meet the needs of today's armed forces. Home to one the world's most technologically advanced workforces, Michigan is able to provide the defense goods our nation's military needs to win wars now, as well as the advanced research that will enable our nation to address the challenges of the future.

Additionally, Michigan is home to a number of key military sites that train, prepare and sustain our nation's military for service. These facilities include:

U.S. Army

TACOM: The Army's Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM), located in Warren, Michigan is responsible for managing the Army's fleet of ground combat and tactical vehicles; developing tomorrow's ground vehicles and their weapons systems; and sustaining those vehicles to preserve our combat readiness. A multi-billion dollar corporation, TACOM manages over 75 percent of the most critical weapon systems in the Army. The Tank-Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) at TACOM is responsible for designing and developing future vehicles and their technology.

TARDEC is home to the U.S. Army’s ground vehicle scientists and engineers. The National Automotive Center (NAC) at TACOM, which Senator Levin helped to establish, works with the commercial automotive industry to incorporate commercial technology into Army vehicles. Senator Levin has urged TACOM to work with the automotive and automotive support industries in order to reduce costs and learn from each other's expertise. Through partnerships such as those run by the NAC, Michigan is in the forefront of research and development on future combat vehicles that are substantially lighter, more fuel efficient, and more lethal than current vehicles. Together, these three facilities make up the Detroit Arsenal.

The 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission, upon recommendation from the Department of Defense (DoD), named the Detroit Arsenal in Warren, Michigan the Joint Center of Excellence for Ground Vehicle Development and Acquisition. This new center will eventually incorporate the development and acquisition communities for all of the DoD's manned and unmanned ground combat and tactical vehicles. The job gains will come from Redstone, Alabama, Rock Island, Illinois, and Quantico, Virginia.

Creating a Joint DoD Center of Excellence for the Development and Acquisition of the Manned and Unmanned Ground Vehicles in southeast Michigan confirmed what people in Michigan have always known - there are great benefits from clustering and the co-location of engineers and acquisition experts and Michigan’s automotive research and development community is the best in the world.

In its final recommendation, the DoD stated the following: “The Joint Center for Ground Vehicle D&A located at Detroit Arsenal will be the Department of Defense’s premier facility for ground vehicle D&A. Detroit Arsenal is located in southeastern Michigan where the Research and Development headquarters reside for General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, General Dynamics Land Systems, Toyota-North America, Nissan-North America, Hino, Hyundai, Suzuki, Visteon, Delphi, Johnson Controls, Dana, and many others. The synergies gained from having a critical mass located in southeastern Michigan, and being able to leverage the world’s intellectual capital for automotive/ground vehicle Research and Development & Acquisition, will ensure the Department is prepared to meet the future demands.”

Department of Defense

The Hart, Dole, Inouye Federal Center: The Hart, Dole, Inouye Federal Center in Battle Creek is home to the Defense Logistics Information Service (DLIS) and the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service (DRMS). The DLIS is charged with supporting the logistics efforts undertaken by the DoD, other federal agencies and various international governmental agencies. The DRMS disposes of excess property received from the military services. Property is first offered for reuse within the DoD, transfer to other federal agencies, or donation to state and local governments and other qualified organizations. Property that is not reused is sold to the public as surplus.

Michigan Air National Guard and Air Force Reserves

Michigan bases were affected, both gaining and losing, by ten different Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) recommendations. The most significant reductions in the Air National Guard are 277 direct and indirect jobs at W.K. Kellogg Air National Guard Base (ANGB) and 243 at Selfridge ANGB. Under the commission's recommendations, Michigan will have fewer aircraft, going from a total of 46 Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve aircraft of four types (KC-135 Tankers, A-10, C-130 and F-16) at Selfridge ANGB and W.K. Kellogg ANGB down to 32 aircraft of two types (A-10 and KC-135).

Over the coming years, Senator Levin will work with Governor Granholm and others in the Michigan delegation to ensure that the BRAC recommendations are properly implemented and that every installation is adequately funded and manned. Until the BRAC recommendations are completely implemented, the Michigan Air National Guard and Air Force Reserves remain in the posture they have for many years. A description of each installation and the wings operating at each location follows:

Selfridge Air National Guard Base: Selfridge Air National Guard Base is home of many diversified units, including elements of the Air Force Reserve, Air National Guard, Army, Air Force, Navy Reserves, Marine Corps Reserves, Coast Guard and the Department of Homeland Security. Selfridge takes pride in being the only reserve forces base to have permanently assigned units from all five of the uniformed services. Selfridge is home to the 127th Wing, which combines C-130s and F-16s for the Air National Guard. Selfridge also houses the 927th Air Refueling Wing of the Air Force Reserve. The 927th flies KC-135R Stratotankers which provide aerial refueling support to Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and allied aircraft. Units from Selfridge have served in recent conflicts in Kosovo, Bosnia, Afghanistan and Iraq.

Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center: The mission of the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center (CRTC) is to provide an integrated, year-round training environment in airspace, facilities, and equipment, allowing military units to enhance their aerial mission capability and readiness at a deployed, combat oriented operating base. The CRTC possesses the capability for military and law enforcement personnel to train at the site year round.

W. K. Kellogg Air Guard Station: The 110th Fighter Wing is located at the Battle Creek Air National Guard Base located at W. K. Kellogg Field. The 110th Fighter Wing is the home of the 172nd Fighter Squadron, which flies the A-10 Thunderbolt II fighter for the Air National Guard. Members of the Air National Guard's 110th Fighter Wing took part in the NATO air war in Yugoslavia. It was while serving in Europe that the 110th Fighter Wing, along with sister wings from Massachusetts and Idaho, were dubbed the "killer bees." Most recently, members of the 110th participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom, providing close air support for ground forces.

Michigan Army National Guard

Camp Grayling: With its 147,000 acres, Camp Grayling is the largest military installation east of the Mississippi River, and the nation's largest National Guard training site. Training is conducted year round with active and reserve units of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps making use of Camp Grayling's unique combination of training resources. In recent years, local law enforcement personnel have also begun conducting training exercises at Camp Grayling. Training at Camp Grayling has historically focused on heavy vehicles and larger units.

Ft. Custer: Ft. Custer Army National Guard Base is one of the most heavily used training facilities in the Midwest with its close proximity to Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. It is used primarily for small arms and maintenance training at the company level.