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Will shrinking the US military slam the North Country’s economy?

April 29th, 2013 by Brian Mann

Fort Drum’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team members U.S. Army Maj. Marc Beckage, Maj. Nicholas Ploetz and Lt. Col. Eric Johnson at a physical readiness training Aug. 8, 2012, at Fort Drum. Photo: Capt. Michael Greenberger, Department of Defense, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

NCPR’s Joanna Richards has a great story this morning on the ways that deep military cuts could affect the community around Fort Drum.

There’s a lot of uncertainty, but national reorganization efforts brewing in the Pentagon could mean big changes.

“The post stands to lose up to 8,000 troops – or gain as many as 3,000 – in the upcoming Army reorganization,” Richards reports.  “The changes come as the Army reduces its overall troop strength as more than a decade of war winds down.”

Meanwhile, in a story this morning in the Washington Post, Zachary Goldfarb reports on growing angst among pro-government stimulus groups that military cuts could crimp the economic recovery.

Military spending is rapidly becoming a less significant share of the overall economy. As a percentage of gross domestic product, defense spending started picking up after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, rising from 3.8 percent and peaking at 5.3 percent in the fall of last year.

In the first three months of this year, military spending made up only 4.8 percent of the size of the economy, and that is likely to decline more.

In his article, Goldfarb interviewed Vermont Senator Bernie Saunders.

“I don’t want to see anybody lose their jobs.  We are in the midst of a terrible recession. When you cut military spending you lose jobs, and that’s a terrible thing.”

On the other hand, Sanders said, military spending should not be preserved just because it keeps people employed. “You can hire millions of people digging ditches and hire millions of people to fill the ditches,” he said.

No one is suggesting that folks at Fort Drum are doing busy work.  But there is a growing awareness that for communities like Watertown, defense and economic stimulus are interwoven in complex ways.

So what do you think?  As Afghanistan and Iraq wind down, should we wind down the military as well?  Or is this the wrong time to be furloughing tens of thousands of soldiers back into the civilian economy?

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Drones, good times ahead for Fort Drum?

April 11th, 2013 by Nora Flaherty

President Barack Obama speaks on April 10, 2013 about the FY 2014 proposed budget. Image: Video still from whitehouse.gov

Happy fundraiser Thursday! Have you given yet? OK, that’s all for that.

So President Barack Obama unveiled the fiscal year 2014 budget blueprint yesterday (read more from the White House here.) Although, as NPR’s Scott Horsley said yesterday on the network, there’s something in it for everyone to dislike (score!), there’s also something in it that people attached to Fort Drum and its surrounding communities may like very much.

That something, Syracuse.com reports, is $4.7 million in funding for the Pentagon to build a new launch and recovery facility at the base for MQ-9 Reaper Drones. Military appropriations are a little complicated, but it seems the money is earmarked for the New York Air National Guard’s 147th Attack Wing, which operates the drones from Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Syracuse. Some of that money will then be used to build a hangar at Fort Drum (the 147th flies the drones over Fort Drum airspace for training missions). The balance will be used to widen a taxiway from the new hangar to Wheeler-Sack Army Airfield.

Obviously, this could bring substantial construction-related money into the Watertown area, and as we know money spent locally has a nice multiplier effect. But what if Fort Drum’s troop numbers are reduced in another round of Base Realignment and Closures (BRACs)? Well, WWNY-TV is reporting that North Country Congressman Bill Owens isn’t a fan of the BRAC idea, but he thinks if it does happen, it could actually benefit Fort Drum.

Here’s what that’s all about: President Obama sent Congress the proposed 2014 defense budget on Wednesday (it’s $526.6 billion, by the way), and he’s looking for the House to approve BRAC in 2015. Owens says he won’t be voting for it, and he doesn’t think it’ll have much support on Capitol Hill, but if it does pass it might not be all bad. He hasn’t read the bill as of yet, so he doesn’t know all the details, but Owens told WWNY that he believes “that if the Army restructures, what we may see is that, in fact, an increase in troop strength at Fort Drum.”

If the legislature does approve another BRAC round, the actual process of base closures would begin in 2016 and would be a multi-year process. Owens says if it is included in future BRAC rounds, he’ll fight to keep Fort Drum (whose economic impact on Jefferson County is enormous) intact.

 

 

 

 

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Morning Read: Tuition assistance program for soldiers is back!

April 2nd, 2013 by Nora Flaherty

Photo: National Center for Veteran Studies

Good (late) morning! Today at ncpr.org, all about Sen. Charles Schumer’s visit to Massena yesterday, wherein the senator urged the Environmental Protection Agency to approve a final cost for Alcoa’s cleanup of the Grasse River. The EPA has put forth several plans for the cleanup of PCBs that the company dumped in the river in the 1950s and ’60s; Schumer says Alcoa has agreed to a plan that will cost $245 million, but the EPA hasn’t announced its final decision.

Saranac Lake’s incoming superintendent says her biggest challenge is going to be dealing with the district’s budget: It’s struggling to find a way to preserve core programs while closing a budget gap of more than $1 million. In Watertown, kids are doing all kinds of arty things at the North Country Arts Council; and (this is so cool) we look at a baseball uniform from the 1870s in the Adirondack Museum.

We also have today a story about how SUNY Oswego is training people “on the front lines” with returning soldiers and their families to deal with the trauma and mental health issues many of those soldiers are experiencing.

In another Fort Drum-related education story this morning from the Watertown Daily Times, some good news! I blogged last month about sequestration’s affects on military education support: At that time, the army suspended its military tuition assistance program, a move that not only affected servicemembers but also was set to cost Jefferson Community College (one third of whose students are either military or have spouses who are), by their estimation, $100,000.

Now that funding has been reinstated, the paper reports. The program’s being reinstated after Congress passed an appropriations bill funding the Department of Defense; President Barack Obama has signed that bill into law, so the money will be available again…at some point. The paper reports that a decision on when the benefit will return “has not been finalized”.

The response from JCC has been enthusiastic and somewhat tentative. The college’s director of military programs says the government’s commitment to servicemembers is “heartwarming,” but that he’s more excited for when the funding’s actually resumed, “when soldiers can log in and sign up for classes.”

The paper also reports that the college is holding a series of weekly education sessions to help military students find new state and federal aid money; more information about those is in the article.

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Afternoon Read: 150 civilian jobs to be lost at Fort Drum

February 19th, 2013 by Nora Flaherty

UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters airlifting howitzers at Fort Drum. U.S. Army photo: Sgt. 1st Class Steven Petibone

The Watertown Daily Times reports today (as do others, including the Associated Press) that 150 civilian jobs will be leaving Fort Drum. Virginia-based DynCorp International will move some of its operations from our region to North Carolina and Kentucky. The job cuts are expected to begin this spring, with the workforce on the RESET program, which fixes Black Hawk helicopters, to be reduced from 220 to 70 by mid-summer.

The reason for the cuts hasn’t been completely clear. The workers’ union representative Brian Gagnon (president, Local Lodge 2920 of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace workers) suggested today to the Times that they’re the result of concerns over sequestration in Washington. A company official told WNYF-TV yesterday that the cuts were due to “reduced need” (a local DynCorp official also mentioned sequestration as a reason for the cuts to WNYF yesterday.) Since the company’s “customer” is the military it probably amounts to about the same thing.

I’m sure I’m not the only one to wonder as well whether there might be financial advantages for DynCorp to move operations to North Carolina (which is a right to work state — apologies for the Wikipedia link, but it’s very hard to find something on right to work that’s not clearly slanted in one direction or the other) and Kentucky (which is not). Those states may also be offering incentives that make a move more appealing.

In any event, there is a question of whether DynCorp is taking this opportunity to do now, with the threat of sequestration making things uncertain for many who receive federal funding, something it may well have done anyway.

This sober news comes not long after we heard from North Country Congressman Bill Owens (speaking to NCPR in late January) that Fort Drum was most likely “in pretty good shape” to stave off cuts as the military prepares to make massive budget cuts itself. It’s a reminder that even the threat of cuts can be enough to cause (often very risk-averse) businesses) to make big changes — another reason political brinksmanship is so very dangerous.

 

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Morning read: Minimum wage, maximum tension

January 24th, 2013 by Nora Flaherty

Advocates for New York state’s hungry rally at the Capitol in November of 2012 for an increase in the state’s minimum wage. Will they get their wish? Photo: Karen DeWitt

Good morning! While some of us may feel that all outside-of-bed activities should cease until the temperature breaks 10 above, there’s been quite a lot going on this week.

This morning, Joanna Richards reported that Fort Drum servicemembers have mixed feelings about Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta’s decision to lift the ban on women in combat. Some say it’s not as big a deal as people think, given the changed nature of combat in recent years.

Others have the concerns that have been around for a long time about this — will women soldiers be able to hold their own? Will they be able to carry their own stuff? Will their presence complicate relationships between “battle buddies”?

Interesting stuff.

Also today NCPR launched its new Prison Time Media Project, with an epic story from Brian Mann on the history of the Rockefeller Drug Laws. It’s worth checking out, as is the project’s new blog.

But enough about us, let’s get down to Albany, where the temperature is a balmy 6 degrees. Journalists, organizations and others are still parsing Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s budget address to see how it applies to the things in which they’re the most interested, and one interesting development is that Cuomo’s decision to make an increase in the minimum wage from $7.25 to $8.75 part of the budget may mean that the rise could be more likely to become law.

Not surprisingly, the minimum wage increase idea is controversial, and people (by which I mean non-politicians) feel strongly about it. The Watertown Daily Times reports this morning that the idea is getting a “mixed reception” in that area, with owners of local businesses expressing a lot of concerns about where the money’s going to come from to pay for the increase, and at least one (Jreck Subs franchisee Peter J. Whitmore) suggesting he’d raise prices. “It would be absolutely devastating to us.”

Particularly in Watertown, where the cost of living is higher than in many other parts of the North Country, employees say the raise would be helpful, and would in some cases help people get out of untenable housing situations.

Dairy farmers would be affected by the increase as well — Douglas W. Shelmidine, who owns a large farm in Ellisburg, says the increase would “really challenge us to give opportunities to those who don’t have experience, or even kids.” In other words, if he has to pay people more, he wants better-trained, more experienced people.

Generally, the minimum wage is a vastly complicated issue and one in which most hold strong and often-intractable views. With both businesses and employees struggling, and people holding a huge array of different opinions about what stimulates the economy, what chills it, and what these terms should even mean, it’s unlikely these questions will be resolved even by data coming from any future minimum wage increase — there are just too many factors to consider, and, frankly, too much confirmation bias at work.

But maybe I’m being cynical. What do you think?

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Obama administration: Military base closures still on table

August 8th, 2012 by Brian Mann

Politico is reporting today that Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is still describing base closures as “inevitable” despite bipartisan resistance in Congress.

In a speech in Monterey, Calif., on Monday, Panetta told members of the Association of Defense Communities that reviving the base realignment and closure process would come up again before long, as the Pentagon copes with a $487 billion reduction in budget growth over the coming decade.

“It’s an important debate that we have to have and, frankly, it’s not going away,” he said.

Most observers believe that Fort Drum would not be targeted by this kind of downsizing, but distrust of the process has been high since the mid-90s when the Pentagon abruptly reversed course and mothballed the Plattsburgh Air Force Base.

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Morning Read: Fort Drum faces uncertainty, as Army braces for lean times

March 8th, 2012 by Brian Mann

The Watertown Daily Times is reporting that Army Secretary John McHugh is planning significant cuts to the civilian work force, even as the military downsizes the number of active duty soldiers.

Fort Drum has already absorbed about a fifth of the civilian cuts across the Army, said Jeffrey W. Zuhlke, president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 400 at the post. But if the Army slashes as many 30,000 civilian slots, as some employees fear, Northern New York could be in trouble, he said.

“If they push for those additional reductions, it’s going to be really painful,” Mr. Zuhlke said.

Meanwhile, the WDT is reporting that Lt. Gov. Robert Duffy is working to make sure Fort Drum isn’t hit by the proposed new round of base closures.

With military spending cuts looming in the next year and the threat of base closures beyond then, Mr. Duffy is visiting with New York lawmakers to discuss how to protect the state’s installations.

Mr. Duffy met with Rep. William L. Owens, D-Plattsburgh, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, on Tuesday. Meetings were also planned with Rep. Richard L. Hanna. R-Barneveld, and with Sen. Kirsten E. Gillibrand, D-N.Y., today.

“We’re very concerned about some of the projected cuts and the impact they would have on New York state,” Mr. Duffy said after meeting with Mr. Owens. “These areas have taken so many hits over the years.”

So what do you think?  Are these military cuts necessary and appropriate?  A risk to our national security?  And what about the North Country economy?  Comments welcome.

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Fighter planes practise this morning over Adirondacks

March 7th, 2012 by Brian Mann

The Albany Times Union is reporting that the Massachusetts Air National Guard is conducting training flights today in the skies over the Glens Falls-Ticonderoga area.

Two F-15 fighter planes from the Massachusetts Air National Guard‘s 104th Fighter Wing will train Wednesday morning over northeastern New York.

The fighters will be conducting maneuvers over the Glens Falls and Ticonderoga areas between 9 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.

The National Guard says the training will be conducted in conjunction with the Civil Air Patrol, which will fly civilian aircraft and play the role of interception targets for the Air Guard fighters.

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Morning Read: War veteran treatment center faces opposition in Saranac Lake neighborhood

January 31st, 2012 by Brian Mann

The Adirondack Daily Enterprise is wrestling with news that neighbors of the St. Joseph’s Rehabilitation Center in Saranac Lake are opposing plans to expand the treatment facility so that it can accommodate struggling veterans home from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

St. Joe’s wants to build a new dormitory near their current facility and it turns out the addition would require a zoning change, one that many local residents — including two former Adirondack Park Agency employees — hope to block.

In Chris Knight’s story on the case, former APA staffer Mark Sengenberger expresses concern about the kinds of issues that the veterans would be treated for.

“We have no knowledge whatsoever, nor has there been any public explanation of the degree of impairment or PTSD that these folks would have,” Sengenberger said.

“As a general concern, sure, but one assumes St. Joe’s would have programs and practices in place to deal with the kinds of clients they would be bringing in.”

The larger issue appears to be anxiety that a large dormitory-like structure could erode the quality of life and property values in the neighborhood.  But in an editorial on Monday, the Enterprise chided the neighbors for their stance:

We have known and admired these individuals for many years, but they should back down on this one.

St. Joe’s has been there since before their houses were built, so they already have people with addiction problems in their neighborhood. These neighbors don’t have much to worry about now, and the veterans facility won’t change that. Their property values shouldn’t be affected in any meaningful way.

And any comprehensive plan that doesn’t allow a facility needed this badly should be changed…these neighbors should step out of the way.

If they can’t be happy to have this treatment center because it’s noble, we hope they can accept it because it’s necessary.

So what do you think?  PTSD, substance abuse and suicide have emerged as major issues for veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.  Would you welcome a facility like this in your neighborhood?

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Rep. Owens slams base closing proposal

January 26th, 2012 by Brian Mann

The Obama administration is proposing another BRACC-style base closings process to downsize the US military.  And while there’s no evidence yet that Fort Drum near Watertown would be a target, the proposal is already drawing fierce condemnation from Rep Bill Owens (D-Plattsburgh).

Owens tells NCPR he was assured by the Pentagon that no base-closing initiative was being planned:

“The last time we asked it was about thirty days ago, we we’re told it’s absolutely not on the radar.  So, I’m not happy about htat as you can imagine.  To say the least, I’m really annoyed by this.  I think it was done really unprofessionally.”

Owens, who sits on the Armed Services Committee, is himself a former Air Force officer who lived in Plattsburgh when the last major “BRACC” base-closure process torpedoed Plattsburgh Air Force Base.

Many locals, including Owens, thought that process was unfair and politicized.

“It was supposed to be non-political.  But it was very clear that the person who was the head of the BRACC commission was from New Jersey and, miraculously, that Air Force base was saved.  It really raised some very substantial questions in my mind about the fairness of the process and whether or not it was done on the up and up.”

Owens says he doubts that closing military bases will achieve substantial cost savings, as the Pentagon has promised.  The congressman says he wants to see a plan for better efficiency first, before a major round of reductions is considered.

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