How will potential U.S. Army force reductions impact Fort Leavenworth and the Kansas City region?

Thursday, Aug. 7
1:30 p.m.

Mid-America Regional Council Conference Center
600 Broadway, Suite 200
Kansas City, MO 64105

RSVP

Agenda

Army leaders are currently examining force reductions at 39 locations across the country, including Fort Leavenworth.

Due to pending budget cuts, the U.S. Army is in the process of developing plans for a reduction in force. If proposed federal sequestration cuts are not reversed before Fiscal Year 2016, the Army will need to contract from a war-time high of 570,000 military and civilian personnel to 420,000. The plan currently under consideration could cut Fort Leavenworth’s military and civilian personnel in half — from approximately 5,000 jobs to 2,500. This proposed reduction in force would have a significant impact on the city of Leavenworth, Leavenworth County and the Kansas City region.

As a first step, the Army conducted a Supplemental Programmatic Environmental Assessment (SPEA). This report evaluates 15 areas of impact — including air quality, noise, water resources, socioeconomics and transportation — at each of the 39 locations. While the SPEA notes that the socioeconomic impact of proposed cuts at Fort Leavenworth would be significant, it concludes that due to an overall finding of “no significant impact,” no Environmental Impact Statement is necessary. The Army will accept public comment on the SPEA through August 25, 2014.

What could this mean for the Kansas City region?

Community leaders are working together to ensure that Army officials fully explore both the unique assets Fort Leavenworth brings to Army operations and its impact on the entire Kansas City region. A few key issues are highlighted below, and more will be explored at the briefing.

Fort Leavenworth’s Unique Assets

• Fort Leavenworth is home to the Command and General Staff College and Advanced Military Studies Program, making it the intellectual center of the army.
• The Fort’s central location and proximity to Kansas City International Airport provide easy access for officers from across the country.
• Fort Leavenworth has well established relationships with nearby universities that complement its educational and training missions.
• The Leavenworth area offers affordable housing, quality schools and many other amenities to military and civilian personnel and their families.
• Fort Leavenworth personnel are also responsible for the confinement and rehabilitation of military criminals at the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks, the military’s only maximum-security facility for those convicted at court-martial.

Impact of Force Reduction

• Currently, Fort Leavenworth generates almost $5 billion per year in economic activity.
• The economic impact of Fort Leavenworth extends well beyond Leavenworth County — the only “region of influence” considered in the Army’s SPEA.
• Due to its unique training mission, the economic impact of Fort Leavenworth includes 34,000 hotel room nights and 6,000 airline tickets purchased each year.
• A cutback of 2,500 military jobs would result in a total loss of 4,944 jobs across a broad range of industries in Leavenworth County due to the multiplier effect. This would mean a loss of $335 million in earnings in the county.
• The loss of 2,500 personnel is expected to affect a total population of 6,355 including spouses and children.
• The proposed reduction in force at Fort Leavenworth would have a negative effect on the region’s fragile recovery from the Great Recession.

We hope to see you on August 7. Please RSVP to Mary Laird, 816-701-8202.