The City of Anchorage brought together leaders from the community to organize against potential military cutbacks at two Army bases Alaska. The municipality hopes to convince federal officials that the military is not only good for Alaska, but that Alaska is uniquely vital for the Armed Forces.
Representatives from a wide array of Anchorage institutions–universities all the way to tourism groups–gathered in a conference room at city hall on Tuesday. It’s part of an effort to get out ahead of a draw-down that could take as many 5,300 Army servicemen and women out of the Anchorage area, and with them, thousands of family members that are embedded in the local economy.
Mayor Dan Sullivan’s office reached out to prominent community members to start coordinating a cohesive message in the weeks ahead.
“We thought it’d be a good idea to incorporate all the different sectors, and make sure we can put forward a best-case scenario that lets this committee know the value not only of the military to Anchorage, but what we offer in terms of being a strategic location for training,” Sullivan explained.
Cuts could come from both Fort Richardson, as well as Fort Wainwright near Fairbanks. But Anchorage officials are hoping to make the case that the two bases must be viewed as part of the same package: access to training grounds, quick deployment capabilities, and good employment opportunities for family members.
To hone that message, officials are contracting with Art Services North, an events-planning group.
“The city sees this as a major event, and they see it as sort of needing someone to choreograph all the pieces and parts to create a fluid presentation,” said Darl Schaaff with the company, adding that right now the biggest challenge is how little time is available to gather input from stakeholders.
Part of Art Services North’s presentation will be a tour of Anchorage to officials from the Army and Defense Department when they visit in February ahead of a public listening session. Two co-chairs were selected from the city’s tourism and economic development sector to make those arrangements.
The draw-down is part of a national reduction in the size of the armed forces, eliminating 120,000 positions from active duty. A maximum of 11,100 troops could be removed from Alaska.
Zachariah Hughes reports on city & state politics, arts & culture, drugs, and military affairs in Anchorage and South Central Alaska.
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