SBCT Final EIS - Govsupport.us

Appendix D ⎯ Responses to Comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Statementcise with the entire BCT at PTA. Section 5.2 presents the results of the analysisof impacts of live-fire training conducted to attain training readiness. The impactswould not differ at PTA if the Army conducted one training exercise forthe entire SBCT versus multiple separate training exercises for its battalions.Section 5.2 covers the impacts projected to occur under either scenario. Sincethe Army does not project the need to conduct live-fire training at the brigadelevel, however, this text has been changed in Chapter 2 to delete discussion ofpotential brigade live-fire training exercises.17. The DEIS needs to address the deployment time from the various locations. Opinions vary onwhether Hawaii or Alaska offers a quicker deployment time to Southeast Asia and the DEISshould answer the question. Also, the DEIS should address the lack of cargo aircraft in Hawaiithat are capable of transporting Strykers compared to the U.S. mainland.Response: The Army discusses the advantages in deploying to Southeast Asia from Hawaiiin Section 2.4.3 along with the other factors leading to Hawaii’s selectionas the Army’s Preferred Alternative. The Army recognizes that Alaska andHawaii both offer strategic deployment advantages for stationing forward deployedforces in the Pacific Rim. Hawaii, however, is much closer to countriesof the South Pacific, and could respond much more rapidly than troops stationedin either Alaska or Colorado. In addition, Hawaii provides the Armywith key strategic redundancy to Alaska in times of inclement weather and lowwinter temperatures preventing air deployment as is also discussed in Section2.4.3.Deployment time and other strategic deployment factors, such as aircraft andsealift, are being considered in the decision-making process. Exact tables oftimes and distances and the locations and numbers of aircraft available fordeployment would represent classified information and would not be used inmaking the stationing decision for the 2/25 th .18. Page 1–6 of the DEIS states that Hawaii is a good site because it replicates the terrain andconditions found in many parts of the Pacific Rim. The DEIS needs to evaluate the ability ofStrykers to function in jungle terrain. Aren’t the Strykers best suited to urban combat?Response: Strykers are designed to be versatile vehicles capable of conducting missionsacross the full spectrum of military operations from peacekeeping to combat.The DEIS indicated that in its original selection as a stationing location, Hawaiiprovided the advantages of offering training environments and terrainsimilar to those found in other Pacific Rim nations . This statement was not intendedto apply to the jungle, but rather the complex and challenging terrainof the Pacific Rim nations, which are dotted with urban development throughconstrained terrain. As stated in Section 1.2.1.5, the SBCT is designed for noncontiguouscontingencies and is ideally suited for small-scale urban operations.19. Page 1–9 of the DEIS states that sealift capability is a critical component of strategic mobility.The EIS needs to address how this affects the choice of locations.Response: The Army has added some additional language to Section 1.2.1.9 to clarifyfurther how it considered sealift as part of this discussion. Strategic deploy-February 2008 D–8 2/25th SBCT Final EIS