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Area bases look ‘untouchable’

May-12-2005 » Filed Under: General Military

But fallout from Friday closure news could change Fort Lewis, McChord

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By MICHAEL GILBERT; The News Tribune

Fort Lewis and McChord Air Force Base would appear to be exactly what Congress and the Defense Department had in mind when they described the kind of military bases they want to keep. [...]

Fort Lewis counts three Stryker brigades, a large contingent of Special Forces and Ranger troops, one of the nation’s largest military hospitals and a huge training range in nearby Yakima.

That’s why it’s rated as “untouchable” by everyone handicapping Friday’s base closures announcement.

“To me, this is the best of the best. So I’m very, very confident they’re not going to have any problems,” said U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks (D-Belfair).

But staying off the list does not rule out the prospect of change at Fort Lewis.

It’s likely to be the destination for some of the 70,000 U.S. troops to be brought home from Germany and South Korea.

A brigade of the 1st Armored Division will reportedly move from Germany to Fort Lewis, although Pentagon and Army officials say they aren’t ready to announce the destinations of their homeward-bound units. The Army also says it will move a Stryker brigade to Germany. There are only two operational Stryker brigades in the Army, both at Fort Lewis, with a third in development here.

And there’s still the question of whether the post’s I Corps – the 1,000-soldier headquarters that would direct ground operations in a war in the Pacific – will move to Japan.

Friday’s announcement of the base closure list is expected to set a number of processes in motion that will clear up what’s next at Fort Lewis, officials said.

State and local officials are optimistic that Washington installations will grow with the arrival of service members and operations from bases closed elsewhere.

“We are not, despite our good feelings, taking anything for granted,” said David Graybill, the Tacoma chamber president. “And even more important, we’re expressing our willingness and receptivity to additional units in our area.” [...]


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