[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 80 (Wednesday, June 22, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: June 22, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                              FORT CARSON

                                 ______


                            HON. JOEL HEFLEY

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 22, 1994

  Mr. HEFLEY. Mr. Speaker, I would like to bring to the attention of my 
colleagues, America's premier army maneuver base. Fort Carson is 
located just south of Colorado Springs in my district. All the members 
of the Colorado congressional delegation recently sent a letter to the 
Secretary of the Army, Togo West. I would ask that the letter to 
Secretary West appear at the appropriate place in the Record.

                                Congress of the United States,

                                     House of Representatives,

                                    Washington, DC, June 17, 1994.
     Hon. Togo D. West,
     Secretary of the Army,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Secretary West: Even as our nation implements a 
     military strategy to confront a new and challenging 
     international environment, certain requirements of national 
     defense remain unchanged. America's national security demands 
     a well trained, rapidly deployable force composed of heavy, 
     light, special operations and support units. Now and in the 
     days ahead, there will be no substitute for the ability to 
     put well-trained troops into combat.
       The key element in meeting this requirement are 
     installations that can accommodate demanding and realistic 
     training; installations that permit the firing of all modern 
     weapons systems' and installations that have adequate space 
     for brigade level maneuver training. In these respects, Fort 
     Carson is the Army's premier post. Carson's assets include: A 
     92,000 acre mechanized maneuver area on Fort Carson; A 
     236,000 acre maneuver area at the Pinon Canyon Training Area; 
     21,740 acres of live-fire impact area; Ranges with the 
     ability to accommodate all of the Army's modern weapons 
     systems; A bombing range which can be used by F-111, F-16, A-
     7, and A-10 aircraft.
       With more than 300,000 usable acres available for maneuver 
     and vast areas for ordnance drop zones, bombing ranges, and 
     state-of-the-art tank gunnery ranges, it is no exaggeration 
     to say that Carson is a valuable national asset. The 
     comprehensive, integrated training environment cannot be 
     duplicated at any price, at any installation, anywhere in the 
     world.
       Fort Carson's unrivaled training areas are complimented by 
     superb deployment capability. In fact, Carson's deployment 
     capability exceeds available airlift and sealift capacity. 
     Fort Carson has extraordinary contingency airlift capability 
     at Peterson Air Force Base; it is located only six miles from 
     the post and is easily accessibly by rail and by road. If the 
     adjacent Colorado Springs Airport runway is used along with 
     Peterson, 48 C-5A and 84 C-141 sorties per day can be flown 
     any day of the year.
       Carson's rail deployment capability is equally impressive. 
     The installation has its own rail facility on post and load 
     230 rail cars simultaneously. And it has direct rail access 
     to the ports of Oakland, Beaumont and Seattle.
       With the continuing drawdown in active duty forces, the 
     ability to mobilize troops rapidly assumes ever greater 
     importance. The facilities that make Fort Carson an 
     outstanding divisional post also make it a superlative 
     mobilization base for Reserve and National Guard units. 
     Equally important Carson is one of only two major Army 
     mobilization posts in the western U.S.
       In addition to its deployment and training capacity, Fort 
     Carson has outstanding on-post facilities with ample room and 
     infrastructure for growth. Fort Carson has more than 2300 
     buildings with a value of nearly $600 million; five aviation 
     and 33 vehicle maintenance facilities are located on the post 
     and there are an additional 3100 acres with the 
     infrastructure already in place making expansion cost-
     effective.
       Moreover, the quality of life at Fort Carson is a powerful 
     attraction to service members and their families. Fort Carson 
     ranks first among all requests for assignment by Army 
     officers and ranks third among posts requested by enlisted 
     men. What makes Fort Carson such a desirable post? The 
     answers are obvious: a location unrivaled in natural beauty 
     and a moderate climate; an abundance of outdoor recreational 
     activities; excellent schools, a low crime rate; and 
     community support second to none. At a time when recruitment 
     and retention issues are of the utmost importance, the 
     attractions of Fort Carson contribute substantially to the 
     ability of the Army to fulfill its missions.
       In sum, Fort Carson is the Army's largest division based 
     training area in the United States, it is an effective base 
     for mobilization and power projection around the world and it 
     does so with remarkable cost efficiency. It is, in a word, 
     irreplaceable.
           Sincerely,
     Hank Brown,
       U.S. Senator.
     Wayne Allard,
       Member of Congress.
     Scott McInnis,
       Member of Congress.
     Pat Schroeder,
       Member of Congress.
     Ben Nighthorse Campbell,
       U.S. Senator.
     Joel Hefley,
       Member of Congress.
     Dan Schaefer,
       Member of Congress.
     David Skaggs,
       Member of Congress.

                          ____________________