Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) submitted the following statement during today’s public listening session on the U.S. Army’s Force Structure Realignment plan at Fort Huachuca in Sierra Vista, Arizona, urging them to avoid cuts at the Fort which would degrade the Army’s contribution to national security:
“As the U.S. Army proposes to downsize 30 installations across the nation under the Force Structure Realignment plan, I urge Army leaders to consider that cuts at Fort Huachuca would not only have far-reaching negative effects on our national security, but would also impact more than one-fifth of the active-duty and civilian jobs in Sierra Vista, and undermine the Fort’s status as the Army’s top installation working to conserve water supplies in the drought-stricken West.
“One does not need to look far to see the critical value of this installation to our state and our nation. The U.S. Army’s unmatched leaders, capabilities, and platforms in the areas of cybersecurity, network communications, unmanned platforms, and Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) are forged right here at Fort Huachuca.
“The U.S. military relies on the Army Intelligence Center of Excellence to provide cutting-edge training for military intelligence officers. The Army also relies on the U.S. Army Network Enterprise Technology Command (NETCOM) headquartered here, which enables worldwide information dominance for our troops and management and defense of the Army’s network communications.
“In addition, Fort Huachuca’s Electronic Proving Grounds test and develop the ISR technologies that the Army needs to save lives and enable our military to complete its missions. Fort Huachuca’s training is critical to ensure the Army sees the enemy and communicates on the battlefield of the 21st century.
“Fort Huachuca also trains high-quality unmanned aerial vehicle pilots with access to nearly 1,000 square miles of airspace and more than 300 flying days per year. Senior military leaders have repeatedly called for increased funding and resources for unmanned aerial assets, and Fort Huachuca is uniquely positioned to meet these increased needs for the Army.
“Furthermore, Fort Huachuca is a partner in ensuring the security of the local environment by being an excellent steward of its natural resources. Over the past two decades, Fort Huachuca has proven itself as the U.S. Army’s top installation working to conserve water supplies in the arid western United States. Earlier this year, Fort Huachuca achieved its goal of fully offsetting its own water consumption budget of 6,000 acre-feet of water per year – about 1.9 billion gallons of water used annually on and off post – and has exceeded that offset by another 1,300 acre-feet per year.
“Currently, the Fort is credited with supplying nearby aquifers with more water than it withdraws. In terms relating to the job cuts proposed under the Force Structure Realignment, Fort Huachuca has gone from being a no-growth installation because of limited water availability to a sustainable installation that could feasibly double the size of its current mission if called upon by the Army.
“Fort Huachuca is also integral to our nation’s border security and drug interdiction efforts through effective partnership with Homeland Security and local law enforcement.
“It is clear that substantial cuts at Fort Huachuca would only serve to degrade the Army’s contribution to national security. The capability, assets, and value that Fort Huachuca offer are impossible to replicate elsewhere. The Army should sustain and consider increasing its investment in Fort Huachuca and Sierra Vista’s people and community to meet the national security challenges of today and tomorrow.
“Thank you.”
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