Alliance for Regional Military Support
Regional Military Support or ARMS consists of a coalition between the Greater Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce, Alamogordo Chamber of Commerce and the Greater El Paso Chamber of Commerce to support the three military bases in the region.
The three bases, White Sands Missile Range, Holloman Air Force Base and Fort Bliss provide significant economic impact to our communities; White Sands Missile Range for example pumps 2.3 million dollars a day into the local economy of Southern New Mexico.
The Alliance for Regional Military Support was extremely instrumental at interacting with the government’s Base Closure and Realignment Commission or BRAC. They had plans to move the Army research lab to Aberdeen, Md. This move would have reduced funding for White Sands Missile Range resulting in fewer jobs for the area. Collaborating with community leaders and the state, a successful argument was put forward as to why that wasn’t the best decision for the government.
Out of this action the Chamber formed the permanent Military Affairs Committee to keep the community tied to what is going on at White Sands and provide ongoing interaction with the Alliance for Regional Military Support.
Currently the Alliance for Regional Military Support is preparing for the next round of BRAC.
Community Covenant
The Community Covenant is a formal commitment of support by state and local communities to Soldiers and Families of the military stationed in our region. It is designed to develop and foster effective state and community partnerships with the Military to sustain and improve the quality of life of Soldiers and their Families. In addition we recognize not only their service to our country but also their active roles in our community.
Military/Civilian Council
The Chamber participates in the Military/Civilian Council which is a forum sponsored by White Sands Missile Range that brings together leaders and decision-makers from the communities that surrounds White Sands Missile Range for the express purpose of information exchange and dialogue. Connecting our Military Installations with our communities through disseminating key information and syncing organizational calendars goes a long way to forge strong relationships and effective positive communications to accomplish common missions.
OUR MISSION
White Sands Missile Range is the Department of Defense’s largest, fully-instrumented, open air range and provides America’s Armed Forces, allies, partners and defense technology innovators with the world’s premiere research, development, test, evaluation, experimentation and training facilities. An integral part of the Army Test and Evaluation Command tasked with directly supporting the newly-activated Army Futures Command and a key player in the defense of the United States and its interests worldwide, White Sands Missile Range exists to test, prove and rapidly field weapon systems that allow America’s Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines to deter, and, if necessary, decisively defeat, any adversary, anywhere at any time.
White Sands Missile Range is a Major Range and Test Facility Base, a key national asset that guarantees U.S. warfighters can trust the systems they need to prevail against any enemy. The installation is one of a half dozen MRTFBs operated by the Army and one of 23 located across nine time zones.
White Sands Missile Range supports the Army’s six modernization priorities with a focus on the Army’s overall priority: Readiness. The six modernization priorities are:
Long Range Precision Fires
Next Generation Combat Vehicle
Future Vertical Lift
Army Network
Air and Missile Defense
Soldier Lethality
White Sands Missile Range supports not only the Army but also the Navy and Air Force as well as commercial and international users on a reimbursable basis. It does so primarily via work on six critical Strategic Capability Thrusts.
Directed Energy
Hypersonics/Long Range Systems
Swarming Autonomous Systems
Joint Integrated Air and Missile Defense
Nuclear Weapon Effects
Space
ECONOMIC IMPACT
White Sands Missile Range has an average daily workforce of more than 5,600 people and produces an estimated daily economic impact of $4.7 million in Las Cruces, Dona Ana County and the surrounding Borderland region. On average, 24.9 percent of wage dollars is military spending in southern New Mexico and El Paso, Texas (Economic impact data is published on EOA.gov).
CAPABILITIES
White Sands Missile Range has more than 3,200 square miles of DoD-restricted airspace that it controls 24 hours a day from the ground to space. This can expand to up to 7,569 contiguous square miles if needed; the largest restricted DoD airspace in the country.
Constitutes 17 percent of the Army’s land. Add the eight percent in the adjacent McGregor Range, and a quarter of the Army’s land is found in Southern New Mexico and the El Paso, Texas, region.
Stable, mild climate, which allows reliable, year-round, cost-effective, overland testing. The precision test and evaluation of systems over land is far less expensive than doing the same tests over water. An added benefit is that the test article can be recovered for further study.
Provides a secure environment for testing that is radio frequency (RF) quiet and capable of handling all Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) scenarios.
Can accommodate operational, live-fire testing for air and missile defense, long-range precision fires, counter-UAS, missiles and rockets, directed energy, system of systems, unmanned systems, space systems and sensors, countermeasures, soldier lethality, jammable-network testing, space for mobile-protected firepower and next-generation combat vehicle testing, urban environments, electromagnetic environment effects, nuclear weapons effects, future vertical lift operational testing.
Supports test partners worldwide with its “Safari” capability that includes its full range of test metrics.
WSMR has played a significant role in space exploration since the 1940s when a V-2 rocket launched from the Range took the first pictures of Earth from space. That legacy continues to today as WSMR works with government and leading-edge commercial space exploration partners. In 2019, Boeing, teamed with NASA, will use WSMR to test its Starliner manned space capsule.
Superior quality-of-life infrastructure for hosting Army, Navy, Air Force and DoD families.
CAPABILITIES VIDEOS
WSMR Capabilities https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCtCRIjZE_w
WSMR Supports Air Force Directed Energy Testing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6y5Kh47nq2Q
Rocket Prototype Makes Historic Long-Range Flight https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QnrziJVads
Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff USAF Gen. Paul Selva Visit to WSMR to See Counter-Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Tests https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kl83Avyitdc
WSMR Advocacy Fact Sheet
KEY White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) FUNDING AREAS OF CONCERN 2012-2013
Engineering Battalion Barracks ($29M)
The funding request for the Engineering Battalion Barracks has been approved and appropriated, but the funds have not been released. This project is vitally important to the 2nd Engineering Battalion soldiers who are stationed at WSMR.
Zero Net Energy Goal & Renewable Transmission
- WSMR is on a plan to be a Net Zero Base by 2015. Is already taking slides on a powerpoint and making them reality on the ground.
- Land is clearing in readiness of a 4MW solar power generating array to be installed by Siemens. Installation of test wells to investigate the possibility of geothermal generation is moving forward.
- Energy conservation is an important aspect of Zero Net Energy. WSMR working on efficiency projects for existing facilities and a proposal for smart metering on these buildings.
- Public/Private Partnerships are important tools to help achieve Zero Net Energy, but there has to be a better understanding of working between DoD and industry/utility partners. Important to have contracting support that understands that regulatory issues associated with new solar, geothermal or conventional gas generation.
- Monitoring the proposed SunZia Transmission line routing to ensure it is compliant to DoD requests that they have no impact to existing and future mission testing on WSMR controlled land.
Network Integration Evaluation (NIE)/Integrated Capabilities Evaluation (ICE)
- Community working to support Brigade Modernization Command in conducting Integrated Network Experiments in our region on a semi-annual basis.
- WSMR/Ft. Bliss area has proved to be the ideal combination of land mass and air space to stress the equipment and simulate theater environments.
- Region looking to support this important DoD initiative. Developing resources for the contractors coming to the community – is there a way to partner with the Army to ensure that the proper resources are in place to aid in the success of this testing.
- Development of a Joint Urban Test Capability (JUTC) is critical to provide realistic environment that will provide a full spectrum, joint military operation. This site should help provide decision ready information that supports the full system evaluation. An issue that has been identified in theater is that Urban Terrain does affect military technology and that countering these issues will mean success for our soldiers. WSMR has identified a prime location for this JUTC that is compatible with range operations and meets the test objective.
Community/State Collaborative Initiatives
- Southern NM Military Coordination Meetings
Collaborative meeting three times a year between representatives of WSMR, Ft. Bliss and Holloman AFB, the NM Military Base Planning Commission, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), NM State Land Office, City of Las Cruces, Dona Ana County, Spaceport America to discuss issues pertinent to regional land management and improved communication between Federal, State, Local and Military organizations.
- Western Regional Partnership
NM is involved in this five state (NM, AZ, UT, CA, NV) partnership between DoD and other Federal Agencies, State and Local organizations. Local leaders are currently participating on the Energy and Border Committees.
- Alliance for Regional Military Support
Monthly meetings between community leaders of Alamogordo, NM, El Paso, TX & Las Cruces, NM aimed at providing coordinated support of the regional military bases: Holloman Air Force Base, Ft. Bliss, and WSMR.
- Southern New Mexico Joint Land Use Study
The Office of Economic Adjustment is working with the region to develop a joint land use study that could be unique endeavor that would include the three regional bases and the counties that surround and have an impact on those bases. This study is an important inventory of the issues and areas the communities can aid in the future expansion of DoD activities in the region.
The Congressional Range and Test Center Caucus (CRTCC)
CRTCC Background
- 2011 – Major Range and Test Facility Base (MRTFB) community support groups visiting U.S. Representatives ask why Congress does not hold hearings on health and status of MRTFBs when they are so critical to maintaining U.S. military’s technical and operational superiority – why Congressional interest in Depots, Programs and MWR but not MRTFs?
- 2012 – Arnold AFB Community Council (ACC) broaches MRTF Caucus with Congressional and Senior DoD representatives – favorably supported
- 2013 – On January 22, the Congressional Range and Test Center Caucus is established
CRTCC Charter
- Mission: To educate members of Congress on the strategic value of ranges and test centers and support their operations
- Goals: 1) Support stable budget authority for long-term investment in range and test center infrastructure; 2) Provide regulatory relief for greater flexibility in supporting government and commercial customers
- Chairman: The Honorable Diane Black – 6th Congressional District Tennessee
CRTCC Path Forward
- Recruit membership – Congressman Black will send out formal invitations to other House Representatives shortly
- Launch Caucus and Website – Congressman Black’s staffer, Tucker Brown, will be POC for D.C. related issues (Tucker.Brown@mail.house.gov 202-225-4233)
- Need RCC members to contact their community support groups. Community support groups need to recruit the maximum number of Congressional Representatives to join the Caucus
- Community support groups may contact Arnold Community Council President, Steve Cope (steve.cope@avioninc.com 931-212-4093) or ACC Long Range Planning Chairman, Tom Best (tomreeda_best@bellsouth.net 931-967-0751) if they have any questions
CRTCC Summary
- Extraordinary Opportunity to capture Congressional support for your test center – similar to what the DoD Depots enjoy
- Critically needed during upcoming sequestration and budget battles
- Energize your community support groups to fully populate Congressional TRC Caucus!