We, the Greater Midlands Community, pride ourselves on being military friendly and that designation is derived from the partnership we have developed with Fort Jackson and all of our military installations in the state.
We are grateful for the continued investments the U.S. Army has made in Fort Jackson which enhance Fort Jackson’s military value, leading to improved quality of life and strategic and operational value of the base at a low cost to the U.S. Army.
WE are concerned that the economic impact of force reductions at Fort Jackson would be devastating to the region.
Losing 3,100 jobs at Fort Jackson would equate to (over five years):
- An immediate $189M impact on income for the Midlands
- A population loss of 7,733 (soldiers, direct and indirect employees, spouses and dependents)
- A reduction of $286M in sales, including sales tax receipts of $3.3M
- A reduction in Impact Aid in our schools with the loss of approximately 3,000 dependent
children of school age.
Also, our “outside the gate” communities depend on the trainees, their families, and their investment in the communities.
I urge the Department of the U.S. Army to avoid making any further budget cuts at Fort Jackson.
Furthurmore, I encourage the U.S. Army to consider bringing additional training missions to Fort Jackson which would enhance it as a center of excellence allowing the U.S. Army greater cost benefit ratios in IET soldier training/production.
Click here to sign the Petition! Petitions due by August 20.