Pentagon sponsors joint base conference at Ft. Lewis

  • Published
  • By Rich Bartell
  • Fort Lewis Public Affairs Office
FORT LEWIS, Wash. --  More than 200 representatives from every Department of Defense military service participated in a Joint Base Implementation Review Conference held at Fort Lewis' American Lake Club this week.

Fort Lewis and McChord Air Force Base are among 26 installations combining to operate as 12 joint bases by the year 2011.

According to Air Force Col. Kenny Weldon, OSD joint base program manager, the federally mandated plan affects nearly 500,000 military and civilian workers. He said the figure will nearly double when families and retirees are added.

"Twenty-six bases will become 12, supporting more than a million people when you add families, retirees and contractors," Weldon said.

He noted that the task of combining so many bases is complex; however, time, resources and man-power are devoted to ensuring that joint basing meets the 2010 deadline.

"There are many complex details to overcome, but we are committed to the success of joint basing - it will succeed," Weldon said.

Weldon pointed out that historically, Fort Lewis and McChord have shared a history as a joint base.

"Fort Lewis began in 1917 with McChord Field following in 1938, That's really the genesis of Joint Base Lewis-McChord and the two installations have been working together ever since," said Weldon.

Several topics were discussed over the course of the conference. Participants had the opportunity to learn about the effects of joint basing on human resources, common themes, working groups and progress reports from all 12 of the soon-to-be joint bases.

The conference was hosted by Wayne Arny, deputy under secretary of defense for installation and environment. Mr. Arny is a career Navy aviator and federal government
administrator with more than 40 years service to the nation. He is responsible for military installations worldwide. Additionally, Mr. Arny is the DOD's senior real property officer and the department's representative to the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.

Garrison Commander Col. Cynthia Murphy and McChord Base Director of Joint Base Lewis-McChord Initiative Col. Shane Hershman, commented on the benefits the conference will have for up-coming Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

"Up to this point, the guidance from the Defense Department gave us a generic framework for creating all 12 joint bases," Colonel Murphy said. "We now need to complete the details of an agreement with Air Force units at McChord, Air Force Base between now and next summer to integrate our installation support services. The conference helps us to better understand the common issues, design the unique requirements of our joint base and make sure it supports all of our war-fighting units."

Colonel Hershman described the cooperative nature of joint base planning between McChord and Fort Lewis.

"On the battlefield in the global war on terror, our combined services blend to make our great military force even better," said Hershman. "The successes we've seen are a direct reflection of our joint force, which the dedicated Soldiers and Airmen on what will soon be known as Joint Base Lewis-McChord are to be proud of."