FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 19, 2007
CONTACT: Geoff Embler or Jamie Loftus
Sen. Hutchison Addresses BRAC, Impact of
Increased Force Strength at Fort Bliss
Increased troop strength to bring additional military personnel to Fort Bliss
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), Ranking Member of the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Subcommittee, today addressed Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) funding and the impact of increased force strength at Fort Bliss at the subcommittee hearing on the Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 Military Construction budget.
Sen. Hutchison posed questions to and received assurances from Keith Eastin, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations and Environment, that BRAC implementation is currently on schedule. She also requested a status report be provided if BRAC implementation is significantly altered.
Sen. Hutchison also expressed her support for the Army’s budget request to “Grow the Force.” The FY 2008 budget request includes over $1.5 billion in military construction funding to support increasing its active duty end strength. The panel responded that 530 military personnel are already slated to head to the base, and Fort Bliss will be considered for more growth as the Army completes its “Grow the Force” plans.
“I have supported increasing the Army’s end strength and am encouraged to see $38 million in the emergency supplemental for facilities at Fort Bliss as part of the Army’s ‘Grow the Force’ initiative,” Sen. Hutchison said. “Fort Bliss is experiencing unprecedented growth, making it a fitting base to support additional members of the growing force.”
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