Op-Eds

Notes from Brett: A strong Fort Knox equals a stronger Army

Washington, DC, August 18, 2014
Like those in the community, I understand how important of a facility Fort Knox is to the region, the Commonwealth, the Army, and the country. Taxpayers have invested a quarter of a billion dollars over the last decade into Fort Knox and the surrounding region. Those infrastructure investments have only further strengthened Fort Knox's prominence as a first-class installation with state of the art training facilities, access to road, rail and air transportation, and energy efficiency upgrades never before seen on a defense installation. Fort Knox also holds a special place in my heart personally, as I trained there as a cadet in the Army.

The recent developments worldwide are a reminder why our nation needs a strong national defense. Fort Knox is key to our military’s future. Unfortunately, this Administration has taken actions that reduce our military advantage when we should be doing all that we can to keep our advantage strong.

In response to significant military cuts proposed by this Administration, the Army recently conducted an in-depth study of all installations - the Supplemental Programmatic Environmental Assessment (SPEA) for Army 2020 Force Structure Realignment. The SPEA details potential reductions that would devastate Fort Knox and our community. That’s why I’m writing a letter to the Pentagon outlining my concerns with this proposal, and I’m encouraging you to do the same.

Like those in the community, I understand how important of a facility Fort Knox is to the region, the Commonwealth, the Army, and the country. Taxpayers have invested a quarter of a billion dollars over the last decade into Fort Knox and the surrounding region. Those infrastructure investments have only further strengthened Fort Knox’s prominence as a first-class installation with state of the art training facilities, access to road, rail and air transportation, and energy efficiency upgrades never before seen on a defense installation. Fort Knox also holds a special place in my heart personally, as I trained there as a cadet in the Army.

Throughout this process, I have worked closely with community leaders and state and local officials to ensure the Army understands both the value of Fort Knox and the fallout that would result from further cuts to the installation.

This message - that a stronger Fort Knox equals a stronger Army - needs to be echoed for all to hear.

In addition to sharing your concerns with the Army directly (via www.OneKnox.com), I encourage you also to share them with my office so I can ensure the Pentagon receives each and every message from those concerned about the future of Fort Knox. Together we will send this message loud and clear, and help to ensure that Fort Knox remains the vital and unique institution it has always been.