Military Advocate Weekly Update
December 1, 2019
Good afternoon on this cold, blustery day in mid-Missouri! I hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving. My wife and I made our way to Mountain Grove to be with relatives last Thursday and I managed again this year to fry a turkey without burning the house down.
It was a holiday-shortened week last week—the Governor declared Friday a state holiday—and there was not a great deal on my schedule. My priorities were to get ready for next week’s Missouri Military Preparedness and Enhancement Commission (MMPEC) meeting, and travel to an historic event in St. Louis with Governor Parson. That said, here’s what I would like you to know about happenings in the defense/military sector last week, and my plans for the week ahead.
NGA West Campus Groundbreaking
I had the great pleasure last Tuesday to accompany Governor Mike Parson to the groundbreaking for the new NGA-West Campus (called Next NGA West or “N2W” by the NGA) in St. Louis, a huge construction project that is officially underway after more than two years of preparation. NGA is an agency of the US Department of Defense, but is both an intelligence agency and combat support agency.
Leaders from the St. Louis region, and Missouri leaders at the state and Congressional levels, worked for more than two year before the NGA made its decision on June 2, 2016 to locate the N2W campus in north St. Louis, rather than at a site next to Scott AFB in Illinois.
Speaking at the event last week were Governor Parson; Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire; Vice Admiral Robert Sharp, Director of the NGA; Senator Roy Blunt, Congressman Lacy Clay, Congressman Adam Schiff of California (Chair of the House Intelligence Committee), St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson; Lieutenant General Todd Semonite, Chief, US Army Corps of Engineers, and Sue Pollmann, the N2W Project Director.
N2W is a $1.75B construction project, funded by Congress that will replace the current NGA facility on 2nd and Arsenal Streets near the Anheuser-Busch brewery. The agency currently has about 3,150 employees and contract personnel and the new facility will allow for an increase in staffing levels.
The construction project is on schedule for a 2025 completion date. St. Louis based McCarthy Building Companies and a Maryland joint venture partner were chosen in March for the estimated $712 million construction project. The additional funds, almost $1 Billion, are for equipment and security. Along with the city of St. Louis, the state has invested tens of millions of dollars in incentives in the new the project. Construction of the new facility is expected to be a catalyst for new development and bring ongoing benefits to the city and region, especially North St. Louis city.
Various state agencies, DED (including the Military Advocate team), the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development, the Department of Transportation and other agencies have partnered with NGA, the City of St. Louis and others to develop and transfer the site, to make plans for transportation infrastructure upgrades, attract and assist company growth and help put plans in place to develop the workforce by focusing on K-12 connections and encouraging universities to put curricula in place to support NGA’s mission success and the long-term growth of the geospatial industry in St. Louis.
KC Chamber Military Affairs Committee (MAC)
As I have written in this column in previous weeks, I am pleased to be a member of the MAC, which is ably led by Kirby Brown, Dean of the College of Management at Park University (and the retired Deputy to the Commanding General at Fort Leavenworth) and Terry Dunn, President and CEO of JE Dunn Construction Group, Inc.
The KC MAC sponsored 3 Hiring our Heroes (HOH) graduation programs this year, including one I reported on last week where Governor Parson was the featured speaker. HOH is a US Chamber of Commerce-backed organization that holds 12-week fellowships for Service members who are within 6 months of separating from the military an opportunity to work in corporations that are looking for mid and upper level expertise, which may lead to employment at those companies.
In addition to the HOH sponsorships, the MAC works on recommending policy positions for the full KC Chamber Board of Directors to adopt during the coming year. The 2020 agenda for military policy has Kansas, Missouri and federal portions, has not yet been adopted. However, I recommended a Missouri policy statement I am confident will make its way into the Chamber’s official position. My recommendations for the 2020 Missouri Policy Agenda were:
- Support the continued modernization and possible expansion of the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant;
- Support funding for maintaining and modernizing our nation's nuclear weapons stockpile, and protect the critical role of the Kansas City National Security Campus in that program;
- Support reciprocity of professional licenses between the states for military spouses, including expedited issuances of new licenses;
- Ensure that K-12 schools that serve high percentages of military-connected students adopt rigorous academic standards and provide a well-rounded educational experience
- Better align research and development efforts at Missouri’s universities with DOD’s modernization priorities;
- Support adequate funding for planned military construction projects, including hospitals, housing, training facilities, and utility infrastructure through the annual Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies appropriation
- Support better state and regional efforts to identify and retain transitioning Service members by connecting them with jobs in the region, and ensure access to educational and training benefits
- Advocate and support delivery of seamless medical care, applicable research to maintain currency and establishment of joint DOD/VA medical facilities in Missouri and Kansas to ensure accessible, timely and quality healthcare for our currently serving and their families and our Veterans.
New Assistant in the Office of Military Advocate
Last, and certainly not least, I am very happy to welcome Hannah Stash to the position of Executive Assistant in my office. Emma Dillon, who had been with the office for about a year, left around the first of October and I interviewed several candidates for the position. Hannah comes to us from Springfield where she recently graduated from Missouri State University. She is a native of Sikeston and I know will make an excellent addition to our office.
Week ahead
I have several meetings scheduled this week, including a trip to St. Louis to work on the National Security Crossroads grant application to the US Department of Defense. However, much of my attention will be in preparing for and taking part in the MMPEC meeting on Tuesday. We have a number of important issues on the agenda, including the approval of a 2020-2022 state strategic plan and the preliminary approval of a statewide military and defense economic impact report.
Until next time, I welcome your feedback on the work I am doing on behalf of our military and defense sector.
(Joe.Driskill@ded.mo.gov)
|
