Today, Senators Mark Udall and Michael Bennet and Representative Doug Lamborn announced that the Army has finished its environmental evaluation and determined that Fort Carson is the best location for 13th Combat Aviation Brigade. The new CAB will mean new investment opportunities and new soldiers for Colorado Springs – and critical aviation training for the new brigade at Fort Carson .
A final official decision on stationing has not yet been made – it is expected no earlier than March 7. But the Army’s final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement states that its preferred alternative is to consolidate existing aviation assets of up to one CAB at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state and establish another CAB of entirely new assets at Colorado ’s Fort Carson . At Fort Carson , stationing would begin in Fiscal Year 2013 and be completed in FY 2014.
As a result, Fort Carson stands to gain up to 2,700 new soldiers and 120 helicopters. The Army expects to request five military construction projects in FY 2012 to support the new soldiers and equipment, totaling $224 million. Importantly, land acquisition is not being considered as part of any CAB stationing.
“I’m ecstatic – this is great news for Fort Carson and Colorado Springs ,” Udall said. “This new CAB brings with it jobs and investment in Colorado Springs – and mission-critical training opportunities for our men and women in uniform. We have one more step to go, but this is a big announcement, and I’m proud to have fought for the new CAB at Fort Carson .”
“A new aviation brigade would bring new opportunities for job creation and economic development to southern Colorado ,” Bennet said. “It would also benefit our troops by allowing Fort Carson soldiers to train more closely with the aircraft they will operate before they deploy, ensuring better preparation for combat.”
“I recognized the need for this brigade from my earliest days in Congress and have been advocating for it for years. This is an exciting development for Fort Carson , Colorado Springs, and our larger national defense efforts,” Lamborn said. “This move would allow our ground troops to do more joint exercises with the helicopters, thus more closely simulating actual combat situations. As we have learned from Afghanistan and Iraq , training must take place in an environment that closely reflects conditions in theater. This aviation brigade would help support the long term viability of Fort Carson and would significantly enhance its war fighter capability.”
Udall, Bennet and Lamborn have fought to bring the 13th CAB to Fort Carson . Among other action, they joined other members of the Colorado congressional delegation in sending a letter last year to the top two Army officials, Secretary John McHugh and General George Casey, urging them to locate the CAB at Fort Carson .
