Letter to General Roger L. Cloutier, Director of Force Management, Army Pentagon - Future of Fort Polk

Letter

Dear General Cloutier:

We look forward to working with you and the Army leadership to address the resourcing challenges faced by the Army. We remain particularly concerned by the Army's ongoing active-duty Brigade Combat Team reductions in the face of real and growing national security challenges. We can assure you that we are doing everything possible as a Delegation to be the leading Army advocate as Congress considers the FY16 President's Request. To that end, we are looking forward to the upcoming March 3rd Army Listening Session at Fort Polk, and we would very much appreciate it if you would be willing to join that session. We would also appreciate the opportunity to meet with you in the coming weeks in Washington, DC, to understand your perspective on the Army force structure reduction plans and to discuss our views and potential options during the FY16 legislative session.

The Leesville community once again out-paced every other community in providing public comments to the Army's Supplemental Programmatic Environmental Assessment for Army force structure reductions. You and your representatives will undoubtedly experience a warm and uniquely Louisianan enthusiasm for Fort Polk during the Army's visit to Leesville. This spirit is rooted in a deep pride and a vibrant community partnership with the Army. Nonetheless, we need to stress to you that something runs even deeper than the community's support for the military -- and that is commitment. The 4/10 Brigade Combat Team and other units at Fort Polk have persuasively demonstrated how a community and the Army can work together positively to the benefit of both parties.

One significant reason that Leesville and its surrounding communities are different is because Fort Polk represents the only installation in the Army that is growing in land size as a result of a solid partnership with the community. The Army is already training on lands transferred under the ongoing land acquisition program and such land has made concurrent Brigade home station and JRTC rotational training seamless. The Army has moved on to acquire even more parcels, some on heritage lands whose owners have previously left their property to support the growth of Fort Polk. It is not easy on some landowners to be asked to move once again, and while condemnation may be necessary in a few cases, for the most part, the Army has enjoyed a remarkably successful program. The 4/10 Brigade Combat Team has provided a tangible level of manning stability during this land growth and must be kept in the context of the previous boom and bust cycles which made the typical level of commercial and retail development unattainable at Fort Polk. The community is palpably aware of the past cycles but with the presence of the 4/10, the environment is changing. Today, the communities around Fort Polk are growing, modernizing and investing like never before. With a booming state economy, more soldiers and their families are staying in Louisiana.

Fort Polk's community is different. The community has built new schools by maximizing its bonding authority. It is steadfastly working with the Army to grow the acreage of the training lands. The State has spent millions to expand the road network and infrastructure around the base. Its cost of energy, BAH, government locality pay, and cost of construction is low. To eliminate a BCT at the same time our community residents are selling their land and taking large parcels of property out of the local tax base presents a paradox that justifies careful thought and attention by Army leadership. Therefore, we hope you will consider attending our Listening Session and meeting first-hand with our community leaders, Army families, and residents.

Thank you for your consideration. Again, we are confident that, as in the past, you will note how the Louisiana Congressional Delegation takes the lead in supporting the Army. The nation deserves a fully resourced and ready Army - we are committed to ensuring the United States Army remains the best in the world.