business backgrounder | economy
and what it means to the economy and to all of the
companies that contract with the military,” Hadley
says.
Members of the WMA will work closely with the
subcabinet on military downsizing established by Gov.
Inslee in June. The governor calls it “an all-hands-ondeck effort to make the case to DoD that Washington
is the right place to keep service members, DoD
civilians and their families.”
“JBLM is now the economic center of Pierce
and Thurston counties.”
— Gary Brackett, business and political manager, TacomaPierce County Chamber of Commerce
the stealth brac
The first test came this summer with the Army’s
announcement of a Joint Base Lewis-McChord
(JBLM) force reduction of 1,250 soldiers. A year ago,
the Army said the base might lose 11,000 soldiers. So
it could have been much worse.
Some called it a “dodged bullet.” But the process
is just beginning, with further reductions in JBLM’s
civilian workforce expected.
The base is a major factor in the South Puget Sound
economy. And as Michael Cade, executive director
of the Thurston County Economic Development
Council says, “Those numbers represent families and
individuals and it’s never good news to have a significant group of folks adversely impacted.”
Gary Brackett, business and political manager of the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce, says, “JBLM is now
the economic center of Pierce and Thurston counties. [Uniformed personnel] may not be counted in the [official] employment
numbers, but they’re counted in the cash registers of local businesses.”
Cade also emphasizes the talent pool.
“We have a number of outreach and programmatic efforts on the base,” he says. “We quickly realized the significant source of
talent and quality of personnel.”
achieving the mission
www.ofm.wa.gov/reports/mil_report.pdf
36 association of washington business
Maintaining the military presence in Washington has obvious advantages to the state
and its private sector employers. But the defense industry is not primarily a jobs and
economic development program.
“These people are defending our country. We need to know what they’re doing and
be proud of it,” says Hadley.
Reeves says, “The number one decision-making tool is the mission: How do we help
them meet their mission goals?”
As Congress and DoD continue to wrestle with budget constraints and the lingering
effects of sequestration, Washington is well-positioned to retain — even expand — the
military presence. Our Pacific Rim location, deepwater ports, and developed platform at
JBLM and other installations contribute to Washington’s strategic value. So too does the
state’s “military friendly” reputation and reality, including extraordinary private-sector
support for the bases, the welcome employers give military personnel as they transition
to private-sector careers, and land use regulations that support training operations.
The 2012 report concluded, “In summary, Washington’s military presence remains
perfectly aligned to protect U.S. air, land, sea, and cyberspace power into the Pacific
region and to support and execute the United States’ strategic imperatives.”
That’s still true. And it’s good for our nation and for our state.