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U.S.
Senator Member of the Agriculture, Energy and Veterans Affairs
Committees |
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For Immediate
Release Wednesday, December 19, 2007 |
CONTACT:Stephanie Valencia – 202-228-3630 |
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| Senator Salazar: Additional Brigade at Fort Carson an Economic ‘Boom’ for Colorado Springs & Pueblo WASHINGTON, D.C. - United States Senator Ken Salazar announced today that the U.S. Army has selected Fort Carson to receive an additional brigade combat team, to supplement the four brigades already assigned to the Mountain Post. The expansion is part of the Army “Grow the Force” initiative, under which it is standing up six new brigades and increasing its end-strength by 65,000 soldiers over the next five years. Earlier this month, Senator Salazar wrote a letter to the Secretary of the Army Pete Geren asking the Army to consider the merits of Fort Carson and the Pikes Peak region in its decision-making process. Senator Salazar believes that Fort Carson currently has sufficient capacity and ample facilities, ranges and training acreage to provide superior training for an additional brigade. “Fort Carson is absolutely the right home for an additional brigade. It is one of our Nation’s premier training locations and has ample space to grow and host additional units and missions. The Pikes Peak region provides our soldiers and their families with a terrific quality of life and is a community with a long history of support for our men and women in uniform. This decision will prove to be an economic boom for the communities surrounding Fort Carson, from Colorado Springs to Pueblo, and I am proud that the Army chose to bolster a base that the state of Colorado is so proud to house.” As part of this growth, the Army is adding 6 combat brigades (going from 42 to 48 brigades). One of those is already among the 4 that are currently at Fort Carson. Today, the Army announced that it will add a 5th brigade to Fort Carson by 2011, along with several smaller units. The new brigade will have 3,452 soldiers. The Army is also making modest expansions to existing units at Fort Carson and is adding several smaller units to support the combat brigades. Today’s announcement will bring a total of 4,877 additional soldiers to Fort Carson. This brigade stationing decision will bring approximately $400 million in military construction to the Pikes Peak region. The soldier population at Fort Carson, which was approximately 12,600 in FY06, is projected to grow to close to 30,000 on account of this decision, global rebasing, and BRAC. In Senator Salazar’s letter to Secretary Geren earlier this month, he addressed the Army’s stated desire to expand the Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site. Senator Salazar stressed that Fort Carson, with its existing resources and training lands, is better able to accommodate additional soldiers than other Army installations. Under two amendments that Senator Salazar succeeded in adding to defense bills this year, the Army may not proceed with an expansion of the Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site in fiscal year 2008 and it must provide a thorough justification and explanation of the it’s training needs. This report will be audited by the Government Accountability Office. ###
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