Letter to the Hon. Ryan McCarthy, Secretary of the U.S. Army - Schumer, Gillibrand urge Army to select Fort Drum for new Corps headquarters; senators say Fort Drum's world-class personnel, existing infrastructure and deployable readiness capabilities make it the perfect home for critical capacity

Letter

Dear Secretary McCarthy:

Earlier this month, the United States Army published a candidate list of thirty-one installations, including the Fort Drum military base in Jefferson County, New York, to be considered for the stationing of a fourth Army Corps Headquarters. This is a critical opportunity to allow the Army to fulfill the objectives of the National Defense Strategy, and thus we appreciate the careful consideration you will give to the choice of base.

We write to encourage you to select Fort Drum, given the base's unique combination of operational, personnel, and support capacity, cost advantages and strong community that make it the ideal location for the next Army Corps headquarters.

Fort Drum is one of the most advanced Army bases in the United States and possesses all the capabilities that make it best in class to support Operational Command Post (OCP) operations. The base is host to the Wheeler-Sack Army Airfield, which serves as the primary departure airfield for the 10th Mountain Division and provides support to military forces at Fort Drum preparing for international contingency operations, including the 20th Air Support Operations Squadron. Wheeler-Sack Army Airfield already serves as a Power Projection Platform capability for the Army, enabling the deployment of forces from several dispersed locations to manage crises and enhance regional stability. The recent infrastructure investments at Fort Drum are specifically designed to boost deployable readiness, including a railhead extension and additional unmanned vehicle hangar, have made a base that is already one of the most valuable Army training and deployment locations even more capable of supporting the Army's needs.

Additionally, Fort Drum is home to skilled and experienced personnel, and based in a region that prioritizes the base, and the wellbeing of its personnel and their families. The base supports more than 25,000 jobs. It has demonstrated an ability to recruit trained Army personnel from the robust network in our communities.

Jefferson County communities have fought hard to ensure that the healthcare, education and housing needs of the military families coming to Fort Drum are fully served. It is an affordable region where families have access to excellent college opportunities and military spouses are able to find employment. The Fort Drum Regional Liaison Organization is one of the most active community groups whose sole focus is on supporting the base.

Finally as an East Coast base, Fort Drum is in the most accessible CONUS time zone for supporting European deployment needs. Its closeness to a large airport at Syracuse and New York State location with frequent connections to the country's largest international airports, make it easily accessible for the Army's movement and logistics needs.

For all of these reasons, we urge you to select Fort Drum for the U.S. Army's fourth Army Corps Headquarters. We appreciate your attention to this important matter and look forward to your response.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to our offices with any questions.

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