SBCT Final EIS - Govsupport.us

Chapter 1 ⎯ Purpose and NeedThere are three primary types of BCTs, each with a unique mission. The Infantry BCT (IBCT) consistsof approximately 3,400 to 3,500 Soldiers and 950 wheeled vehicles. The Heavy BCT (HBCT) isa heavily armored unit consisting of approximately 3,800 Soldiers, M1 Abrams tanks, M2 Bradleyfighting vehicles, and a host of supporting armored tracked and wheeled vehicles. The final modularBCT is the SBCT. The SBCT consists of approximately 4,105 Soldiers and its increased capabilitiesare based around the Stryker family of wheeled vehicles.The SBCT provides levels of deployability, maneuverability, firepower, and armament that offset thestrategic gaps between the IBCT and HBCT. The SBCT ensures the Army can rapidly respond with aforce that is maneuverable, provides significant levels of protections, and can counter an enemy forcewith increased firepower. Modularity creates brigade-based combat and support formations of commonorganizational designs that can be easily tailored to meet the varied needs of geographic CombatantCommanders, reducing joint planning and execution complexities. Since the initial publicationof the 2/25 th Transformation FEIS in 2004, all active and reserve component BCTs in the Army havealready or are in the process of transforming to standard modular BCTs. Because of this, all action alternativesanalyzed in this document involve BCTs of modular configuration.1.4.4 Army GrowthThe Army recently completed an EIS and ROD for growing the Army. This growth includes decisionsto grow the Army by six new BCTs and supporting forces. These BCTs will be stationed at FortBliss, Fort Stewart, and Fort Carson (Army 2008c). The earliest any of these brigades could be fullyestablished and fully manned is the late 2010 early 2011 time frame, which is also the earliest timeframenew construction will be available to support these units..1.5 SCOPE OF ANALYSISThis EIS has been developed in accordance with NEPA and the regulations issued by the Council onEnvironmental Quality (CEQ) 2 . This EIS is also designed to address the deficiencies in the 2004 FEISidentified by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The purpose of the EIS is to informArmy decision makers and the public of the likely environmental consequences of the Proposed Actionand reasonable alternatives to meet the purpose and need for permanently stationing the 2/25 thSBCT. This EIS will assist Army decision makers in more fully understanding the environmental issuesand social concerns connected with the stationing action. There is sufficient information regardingthe existing condition and impacts to environmental resources for all reasonable stationing alternativesconsidered in this EIS. This information allowed the Army to take a fair, objective, and comparativehard look at the environmental effects of the Proposed Action and all reasonable alternatives.It should be noted that a full and detailed EIS has been carried out in its entirety to analyze the environmentalimpacts to Hawaii at a project-specific level of detail. Design and construction of 2/25 thSBCT facility projects are underway or even completed in some cases to the extent permitted by theU.S. District Court. The purpose of this EIS is to present a comparative analysis of the Proposed Actionand alternatives. It therefore includes only the level of detail necessary to perform that analysisand to inform the decision maker of the environmental trade-offs among alternatives. This approach2 Council on Environmental Quality Regulations for Implementing the Procedural Provisions of the NationalEnvironmental Policy Act, 40 CFR Parts 1500–1508 and Army implementing regulations contained in 32 CFRPart 651.February 2008 1-13 2/25th SBCT Final EIS