By State Representative Dave Belton (R-Buckhead), Chairman of the House Military Affairs Study Committee
(697 words)
The House Military Affairs Study Committee I chair recently visited Fort Stewart, the eighth stop on the committee’s statewide military installation tour. Congressman Buddy Carter joined the committee in support of our efforts to protect Georgia’s bases.
Fort Stewart is home to the historic 3rd Infantry Division, one of only 10 Army Divisions in America. The 3rd Infantry Division, also known as the 3rd ID, boasts 55 Medal of Honor winners, the most in the Army, and currently deploys 4,000 soldiers to 250 countries. Combined with Hunter Army Airfield (AAF) and the submarines at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Fort Stewart is the largest employer in coastal Georgia and has a “Power Projection Platform” that reaches air, land and sea.
Fort Stewart and Hunter AAF employ more than 27,000 on base personnel and support another 41,000 off base personnel resulting in about 68,000 jobs and an annual economic impact of $4.9 billion. Hunter AAF is the third largest Army non-attack aviation base in the country, consisting of 36 helicopters. Fort Stewart and Hunter AAF have an excellent railroad line that connects the bases to the Port of Savannah, a huge swath of military airspace and a massive bombing range. Military air units from all over the Southeast train using the military airspace and bombing range. Fort Stewart is close to Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Naval Station Mayport and Charleston Air Force Base, all of which utilize the same valuable airspace. In addition to extensively dredging their port, the city of Savannah is also lengthening the runway at Hunter AAF. Once the project is completed, Hunter AAF will be home to the longest runway in the state. Currently, Robins Air Force Base has Georgia’s longest runway, followed by the five runways at Atlanta.
Fort Stewart and Hunter AAF partner with Armstrong State University and Savannah Technical College. Savannah Technical College was recently named the No. 1 technical college in the United States and has a 99 percent job placement record, and Armstrong State University is ranked the fourth best military friendly university in the United States. Fort Stewart and Hunter AAF are particularly proud of their “Landings Relief Fund” for military personnel. This fund, completely supported by volunteers, has paid almost $1 million to 4,000 needy military families.
Kings Bay is the most unique base in Georgia. Located just north of the Florida border, Georgia’s only naval installation is home to half of all the nuclear warhead-carrying submarines in America. It is hard to believe the sheer might of these nuclear-armed leviathans. If any one of these submarines were an independent country, the submarine would be the third most powerful country in the world. Today, 70 percent of all American nuclear warheads are carried by submarines, unlike the Cold War paradigm of burring Minutemen Missiles underground. Despite the prowess of these silent sentinels, the Navy recently reported that their No. 1 funding issue is replacing these aging boats. Due to the Budget Control Act and Sequestration, the Navy has yet to find the funding.
Kings Bay’s submarines were brought to Georgia after Charleston Naval Base closed. Kings Bay employs 9,000 on base personnel and supports another 13,600 off base personnel resulting in about 22,600 jobs and an annual economic impact of $0.8 billion. Though Kings Bay has a respectable K-12 school system, there is not a technical college nearby, making it the only base in Georgia without a technical college. The Kings Bay area also has an interesting civilian spaceport initiative. The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly known as Georgia Tech, recently reported that the area near Kings Bay has the best physical location on the East Coast to launch space craft due to its position on the Earth, providing a synergy opportunity of technological prowess unrivaled by any other state. Unfortunately, Kings Bays has many encroachment issues, mostly because of security concerns.
Georgia plays an important role in our nation’s security, and our committee is working hard to ensure that this is communicated to our decision makers. The committee’s next and final visit will be at the University of North Georgia in Dahlonega to see the world famous Corps of Cadets.
Representative Dave Belton represents the citizens of District 112, which includes all of Morgan County and the eastern side of Newton County. He was elected into the House of Representatives in 2014, and currently serves as a member of the Economic Development & Tourism, Education, and Interstate Cooperation committees.
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