The Army is looking at permanently increasing its end-strength by adding 6 more brigade combat teams to the mix. Fort Lewis is one of 17 bases being considered as a place to put 1,000 or more troops.
In the report: Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for Army Growth and Force Structure Realignment researchers looked at "three alternatives to grow and realign the Army's force structure - they included: (1) Implementing Army force structure modifications between fiscal years 2008 and 2013 to support the Army's modular transformation and Global Defense Posture Review decisions; (2) Executing those actions and, in addition, adding approximately 30,000 combat support and combat service support Soldiers to the Active and Reserve components of the Army to address critical shortfalls in high demand military skills; and (3) Executing both of those actions and, in addition, growing the Army by up to six active duty brigade combat teams (BCTs). Additional BCTs would be stationed at existing or newly established Army stationing locations within the continental United States. New stationing actions must take place at locations which, if selected, are capable of supporting strategic military and national security considerations."
The Army's preferred Alternative 3.
Next, the Army identified six alternatives to achieve that goal.
A final decision is expected, according to the report, no earlier than 30 days from the publication of the Notice of Availability.
Listed here (in the report's own words) are the proposed scenarios and the impacts to Fort Lewis and the Yakima Training Center:
Scenario 1
Stationing of an Additional 1,000 Combat Support (CS) or Combat Service Support (CSS) Soldiers. Generally, installations’ impacts that result from the accommodation of training and construction activities to handle the stationing of 1,000 new Soldiers as part of this scenario are anticipated to be less than significant in nature. The CS/CSS units consist of approximately 1,000 Soldiers, light engineer equipment, High Mobility Multi-Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWV) or other light vehicles, and some medium to large cargo trucks. While these units are capable of off-road maneuver, typically, training occurs on roads and hardened surfaces, and live fire training typically involves an increase in small arms training. Off-road maneuver training for these units would be projected to take place within the footprint of combat units conducting maneuver training at the installation.
Fort Lewis does not have enough vacant space to accommodate the additional Family housing requirements and units would need to utilize temporary building space.
Scenario 2
Stationing of a Sustainment BDE (3,000 to 3,500 Soldiers). This stationing scenario consists of the stationing of a sustainment brigade that would support logistics operations of BCTs and other support units. Under this stationing scenario the sustainment brigade consists of 1,000 to 1,200 maintenance vehicles and light medium and heavy cargo trucks of all sizes (ex. HMMWVs, fuel trucks and Heavy Equipment Transports (HETs). All wheeled vehicles are capable of on-road and off-road maneuver, but will more often travel on-road. These units accomplish much of their training at individual small arms weapons qualification ranges and during convoy live fire training rehearsals. This type of unit would conduct off-road maneuvers in the footprint of combat maneuver units during major field training exercises while providing fuel, ammunition, food, repair parts, and other logistics services to these units.
Biological Resources (T&E Species). A Sustainment BDE could cause significant damage to shrub-steppe vegetation found on Yakima Training Center. This would also lead to increased establishment of invasive weed species, and indirectly result in a loss of cover for some of the installation’s listed species.
Socioeconomics. Impacts would be potentially significant in relation to accommodating school aged children’s educational requirements at Forts Bliss, YTC, WSMR, YPG, Fort Riley, Fort Campbell, and Fort Lewis under this stationing scenario. Eleven school districts around Fort Lewis are currently over-capacity and are using modular facilities as additional classroom space. oon travel periods.
Scenario 3
Stationing of an Additional IBCT (3,500 Soldiers). The IBCT consists of approximately 3,500 Soldiers, and has a range of light and heavy wheeled vehicles. The IBCT is divided primarily into 2 infantry battalions, a reconnaissance and surveillance battalion, a fires battalion, support battalion, and a special troops battalion consisting of combat support units. The modular IBCT possesses towed M777 155 mm artillery, light engineer equipment, light tactical and medium/large cargo trucks. All vehicles are capable of on-road and off-road maneuver; and, dismounted training occurs in range areas as well. Infantry training involves the use of small arms, heavy caliber machine gun, and explosives training as individual Soldiers, crews, teams, and squads practice and qualify with a variety of weapons such as the pistol, rifle, shotgun,
sniper rifle, grenade launchers, light-medium-heavy machine guns, anti-tank weapons, grenades,demolitions, and mortars. Weapons training occurs more often for the IBCT than the Full Sustainment BDE. Qualification is a semi-annual requirement and practice firing is completed as time, ammunition, and other resources permit. This weapons firing occurs on fixed ranges, as described in Army TC 25-8, Training Ranges. Infantry units, from squad to task force also participate in Live-Fire Exercises that include all weapons systems on a large and more complex range.
Noise. Noise associated with additional live-fire activities of the IBCTcould significantly impact residential communities surrounding Fort Lewis. Recent stationing actions for two aviation battalions at Fort Lewis have exacerbated noise impacts at the installation.
Traffic and Transportation. Traffic and transportation issues would require more in- depth analysis to provide solutions to off-post traffic problems with growth of an IBCT at Fort Bliss, Fort Bragg, and Fort Campbell. Fort Knox and Fort Lewis have identified the need to address on-post traffic issues due to the increased amount of Soldiers, Families, and support staff. The main post area at YTC is currently congested and is programmed for significant roadway upgrades to support BRAC-related growth. A new traffic study would be needed to examine growth beyond BRAC at the installation.
Scenario 4
Stationing of an Additional HBCT (3,800 to 4,000 Soldiers). An HBCT consists of approximately 55 M1 Abrams tanks and 85 Bradley Infantry fighting vehicles. In addition to these heavily armored tracked combat vehicles, the HBCT also possesses 16 self propelled 155 howitzers, tracked earthmoving vehicles, recovery vehicles, and an assortment of other tracked vehicles. The HBCT also consists of a large number
and variety of wheeled-vehicles, to include light tactical trucks, medium trucks, and large cargo and fuel trucks. HBCT training involves training with a full range of small arms weapons. Additionally, vehicle crews must qualify on vehicle weapons systems of the Abrams tanks, Bradley, and other combat vehicles. Artillery and explosives training are needed to achieve combat proficiency. Off-road maneuver training is conducted to maintain training readiness.
Air Quality. Fort Benning and Fort Lewis anticipate fugitive dust emissions from a HBCT to increase significantly, though it should remain a localized issue and would be addressed as an opacity issue if activities are close enough to installation boundaries that visible emissions leave the Installation.
Cultural Resources.
At Fort Lewis and PCMS, off-road heavy and light vehicle maneuver could have adverse effects on archaeological sites and protected resources that have not yet been inventoried or are unknown/undiscovered.
Water Resources
YTC expects significant effects to its biological resources because the addition of a HBCT would result in upland disturbances (e.g. digging and off-road maneuver) that would negatively impact water quality.
Scenario 5
Stationing of an Additional Stryker BCT (4,000 Soldiers). The Stryker BCT is a highly mobile and agile unit that has augmented digital communications capabilities. The Stryker BCT requires larger training areas to rehearse doctrinal maneuver tasks and is only considered at select installations where maneuver land is available for the unit to accomplish mission essential tasks to maintain training readiness. Installations considered for the stationing of an SBCT include Fort Bliss; Fort Carson (including use of PCMS as a maneuver training site); WSMR; Fort Lewis and Yakima Training Center. While the Stryker BCT has approximately 4,000 Soldiers, roughly the same amount as a HBCT, the Stryker requires a larger maneuver areas because of its increased mobility.
This BCT consists of approximately 317 Stryker combat vehicles, 588 wheeled support vehicles, 18 155 mm howitzers, and numerous trailers and other pieces of equipment. The Stryker vehicle is an 8 wheeled armored combat vehicle. Each major unit of the Stryker BCT is composed of a number of smaller constituent units; about half of the 4,000 Soldiers would be assigned to Infantry Battalions within the unit. The rest are distributed among the other battalions, companies, and platoons that comprise a Stryker
BCT. All vehicles are capable of on-road and off-road maneuver, but will often conduct training on designated roads and trail networks.
The stationing of the Stryker BCT would include all impacts discussed for the IBCT in the new growth stationing Scenario 3. The addition of a Stryker BCT would be anticipated to have greater impacts to air quality and soil compaction due to the greater weight and speeds at which the vehicles would travel. In addition to those impacts discussed as part of stationing Scenario 4, potentially significant impacts resulting from the stationing of a Stryker BCT as part of Army growth are:
Scenario 6
Stationing of Additional Multiple BCTs (7,000 Soldiers). The Multiple BCT stationing scenario assumes a combination of two additional BCTs, totaling 7,000 or more Soldiers being stationed at a given installation. These BCTs could include any combination of BCT stationing scenario above.. Such a stationing action would likely involve up to 4,000 spouses and 3,000 to 3,500 military dependents.
The stationing of multiple BCTs would include all impacts to installations that have been discussed previously. Additional potentially significant environmental and socio- economic impacts that could potentially occur at installations under this stationing scenario are:
Socioeconomics. For all locations, over-crowding of school systems would represent a potentially significant impact. This is particularly true for installations such as YTC, YPG, and WSMR. Installations crossing this threshold of significance in the ability to accommodate schooling requirements for DoD dependents under this scenario would include Forts Benning, Bragg, Carson, Knox, Polk, and Stewart.
Finally, the press release regarding this study can be accessed here.
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