SBCT Final EIS - Govsupport.us

Chapter 1 ⎯ Purpose and NeedAnother important consideration is the need to station adequate forces in the Pacific Ocean area ofoperations. Since the 2/25 th SBCT was originally designated for Hawaii, it became part of the mix offorces available to the Pacific Combatant Commander. The permanent stationing decision for the2/25 th SBCT must maintain adequate forces in the Pacific. This allows Pacific Command to meet itsrequirements, which include regional rapid response, deterrence, disaster assistance, and other contingencymissions.1.2.1.13 Summary of NeedThe need for action for permanently stationing the 2/25 th SBCT centers on the five primary areas ofneed discussed previously. These areas of need include:• Adhering to national security and defense policy.• Furthering Army Transformation as directed by the QDR and ACP.• Meeting training and operational requirements for the SBCT (including garrison operations).• Providing for Soldier and Family quality of life requirements.• Meeting strategic deployment requirements to ensure adequate defense assets can be deployed ina timely manner to support national security requirements worldwide.1.3 PURPOSE OF THE PROPOSED ACTIONThe purpose of the Proposed Action is to station the 2/25 th SBCT permanently at an installation that isable to meet the SBCT’s training, Soldier and Family quality of life, and operational and strategic requirements.The installation must be capable of providing adequate training ranges for maneuver andlive-fire training. The installation must also be able to provide the support infrastructure necessary toprovide a high quality of life for Soldiers and their Families and support garrison-based operations ofthe SBCT. In addition, the stationing action must provide for the National Security requirements outlinedin the NSS, NDS, and QDR and provide the necessary strategic response capabilities to satisfynational security requirements and obligations.1.4 OTHER ARMY INITIATIVES REQUIRING CONSIDERATION(BRAC, GDPR, MODULARITY)As discussed in Section 1.2, the purpose of and need for the permanent stationing of the 2/25 th SBCTmust also take into account previously announced Army initiatives and directed actions. In particular,actions that affect the range of alternatives that may be considered in this document are affected byBRAC legislation passed in 2005, GDPR, and Army directives to convert its forces to standardizedmodular structure. Each of these initiatives is discussed in detail below.1.4.1 BRAC 2005In 2005, Congress approved the recommendations of the BRAC Commission, pursuant to BRAC.This particular round of realignment and closures was designed to provide the necessary infrastructureto support Army transformation, including GDPR, the ACP, and conversion to a modular forcestructure. This in turn is designed to transition the Army from a force capable of countering Cold WarEra threats to one that is capable of executing a broad range of missions.BRAC directs the Army to close excess installations with the intention of disposal while realigningand reconfiguring the Army’s infrastructure. This allows the Army to reallocate resources fromFebruary 2008 1-11 2/25th SBCT Final EIS