[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 117 (Friday, June 18, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34714-34715]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-14734]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army


Updated Record of Decision (ROD) for Revised Army Growth and 
Force; Structure Realignment Decisions

AGENCY: Department of the Army, DoD.

ACTION: Notice of availability (NOA).

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SUMMARY: The Department of the Army announces the availability of an 
updated ROD for Army Growth and Force Structure Realignment. This ROD 
explains that the Army has modified previous decisions made in December 
2007 to support Army growth and force structure realignment. The Army's 
decision at the time grew the Army by six Infantry Brigade Combat Teams 
(IBCTs), eight active component support brigades, and associated growth 
in smaller combat support and combat service support units required to 
complement the U.S. Army's overall force structure growth. The decision 
also relocated two Heavy Brigade Combat Teams (HBCTs) from Europe to 
the continental United States. This updated ROD details how the Army 
has modified growth and realignment decisions to better meet 
operational mission requirements. Specifically, the original decision 
is being modified by this updated ROD in the following ways:
     Army growth is stopped at 45 active component BCTs instead 
of 48;
     One IBCT has been established as the 43rd BCT at Fort 
Carson, CO;
     The 44th BCT has been activated at Fort Bliss, TX; and
     The 45th BCT was established at Fort Stewart, GA, as an 
IBCT.
     The Army will not stand up new growth IBCTs at Fort Bliss, 
TX; Fort Stewart, GA; or Fort Carson, CO in 2011 as was originally 
announced in the 2007 ROD. In place of these BCTs, the Army will 
establish additional combat support units at locations across the Army 
to better meet mission requirements and man units for upcoming 
deployments.
     The Army will convert a Heavy Brigade Combat Team (HBCT) 
(the 1st Brigade of the 1st Armored Division (\1/1\ AD)) to a Stryker 
Brigade Combat Team (SBCT) beginning in 2011 at Fort Bliss, TX. This 
conversion involves the stationing of approximately 450 additional 
Soldiers and their equipment at Fort Bliss.
     An HBCT will no longer be returning from Germany to White 
Sands Missile Range in fiscal year 2013. The stationing of HBCTs 
currently assigned to Germany will be reassessed in light of the Army's 
global mission requirements.
    These modifications to the original Grow the Army decision will 
better allow the Army to respond to security threats in an 
unpredictable global security environment.

ADDRESSES: A request for copy of the ROD can be sent to the Public 
Affairs Office, U.S. Army Environmental Command, Building E4460, 
Attention: IMAE-PA, 5179 Hoadley Road, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 
21010-5401.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: LTC David Patterson, Media Relations 
Division, Office of the Chief of Public Affairs, at (703) 697-7592.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In January 2007, the President asked 
Congress for authority to increase the overall strength of the Army by 
74,200 Soldiers over the next five years. This growth was intended to 
mitigate shortages in units, Soldiers, and time to train that would 
otherwise inhibit the Army from meeting readiness goals and supporting 
strategic requirements. The Department of the Army prepared a 
Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) that evaluated the 
potential environmental and socioeconomic effects associated with 
alternatives for Army growth and realignment. In the Final PEIS 
(published on October 26, 2007), the Army identified Alternative 3 as 
the preferred alternative. Alternative 3 (adds combat support and 
combat service support units, as well as Army

[[Page 34715]]

BCTs to the Army's force structure) remains the Army's preferred 
alternative with the modification to the Army's ROD.
    The Final PEIS examined major Army installations within the 
continental United States and their ability to support new unit 
stationing actions in connection with growth and realignment. The Final 
PEIS provided the Army senior leader-ship with an assessment of 
environmental and socioeconomic impacts that would be associated with 
these actions in addition to the feedback and concerns of the public. 
This information was considered as part of the decision-making process 
for decisions contained in the updated ROD (2010).
    The conversion of an HBCT to an SBCT at Fort Bliss, TX will create 
the Army's 7th active component SBCT. The Army's needs are best met by 
transforming an HBCT at Fort Bliss as this unit will have maximum time 
to implement conversion to an SBCT and train with new equipment prior 
to the need to redeploy. In addition, Fort Bliss is capable of 
providing the SBCT with fully modernized training and garrison 
infrastructure; and the installation has adequate maneuver space to 
accommodate the conversion to an SBCT.
    The updated ROD determines that Supplemental NEPA documentation is 
not required because there are no substantial changes or new 
circumstances in the proposed action causing any significant new 
environmental concerns. The adjustments to stationing decisions result 
in small proportional gains to the Soldier populations of affected 
installations and are not anticipated to cause any new environmental 
impacts that are not already addressed in the 2007 EIS.
    A copy of the updated ROD and Final PEIS are available at http://aec.army.mil/usaec/nepa/topics00.html.

    Dated: June 11, 2010.
Hew E. Wolfe,
Principal Assistant to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army, 
Environment, Safety and Occupational Health.
[FR Doc. 2010-14734 Filed 6-17-10; 8:45 am]
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