R-2004-11 support Ellington Field as joint reserve venture

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, , e _, GREATER HOUSTON PARTNERSHIP ")II"'~ Chamber of Commerce . Economic Development. World Trade e MEMORANDUM DATE: April 7, 2004 TO: Board of Directors FROM: Walt Mischer, Chairman Transportation and Infrastructure Advisory Committee SUBJECT: Ellington Field RECOMMENDATION The Partnership is on record in support of retaining all military units at Ellington Field (resolution of the Board of Directors dated December 3, 2003). The Base Realignment and Closure Act (BRAC 2005) places retention of military units at Ellington Field at risk. Ellington Field's ability to serve as a joint reserve base is a key detenninant as to whether it survives the BRAC process as a military installation. In practice, Ellington Field already serves as a joint reserve base, housing the Texas Air National Guard's 147th Fighter Wing, the Army National Guard's 149th Aviation Battalion and the United States Coast Guard Air Station Houston. Therefore, the Partnership supports the official designation of Ellington Field as a joint reserve base with the expectation that military units from bases recommended for closure in BRAC 2005 be consolidated at Ellington Field. The Partnership urges Mayor Bill White of Houston and Adjutant General of Texas Lieutenant General Wayne D. Marty to designate Ellington Field officially as "Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base." BACKGROUND Congress has mandated that the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) conduct a BRAC round in 2005 to realize significant savings by eliminating excess infrastructure and reshaping the military. BRAC 2005 will be larger than the previous four BRAC rC?unds combined. Ac- cording to an October 14, 2003 Los Angeles Times article, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld plans to close.at least 100 of the nation's 425 military bases. The BRAC process leads to a transformation of the military with a look to the future. Rather than the continuance of single-service operations and bases, though many bases will remain as such due to service needs, the trend is toward cooperation and co-location for better integration. To maximize the cooperation among the services in the United States, units will be realigned and co-located as appropriate. A primary example of this cooperation is Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth (NAS IRB Fort Worth). A key determinant as to which military units survive the BRAC 2005 process is its ability to serve as a joint reserve base by hosting several different military units at one location. 1200 Smith, Suite 700 · Houston, Texas 77002-4309 . 713-844-3600 . Fax 713-844-0200 . http://www.houston.org