No personnel relocation decisions yet for Fort Eustis' Army training headquarters move
The Army's chief of staff testified to a House subcommittee earlier this month that the Army Training and Doctrine Command headquarters at Fort Eustis is set to relocate to Austin, Texas.
What that means for the thousands of men and women stationed at Fort Eustis has yet to be determined, Army officials said this week. But it's raised questions for congressional leaders representing Hampton Roads, who say they will be closely scrutinizing the plans.
No decisions have been made yet on relocating people stationed at Fort Eustis or any potential changes in its day-to-day operations, according to TRADOC spokesperson Col. Jeff Pray.
'We don't know,' Pray said. 'Obviously, there's going to be an impact to our command holistically, but that's for the planners and decision makers up at Army level to make.'
Pray added until further notice, Fort Eustis and the surrounding community will not be seeing any major shifts.
During testimony before the U.S. House Appropriations Committee's Defense Subcommittee this month, Gen. Randy George said TRADOC, which has been headquartered at Fort Eustis since 2011 and was previously stationed at Fort Monroe, was set to relocate to Texas to combine with the Army Futures Command to create a new Army Transformation and Training Command.
The move is part of a broader initiative by the Defense Department to streamline the military and create a more lethal deterrent against China, according to a memorandum from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to Pentagon leadership. The memo describes the merger as an initiative to 'downsize, consolidate, or close redundant headquarters.'
Both TRADOC and the Futures Command are four-star commands. Hegseth, in a separate memo to Pentagon leadership earlier this month, ordered a minimum 20% cut in four-star positions. Under the reorganization, the four-star command will remain with the Futures Command in Austin, meaning TRADOC will report to command in Texas.
Congressional leadership from Virginia and Hampton Roads say they are keeping an eye on the TRADOC reorganization plans.
Sen. Tim Kaine, a Democrat, said in an emailed statement Army leadership has assured him Fort Eustis would see no significant personnel changes. Sen. Mark Warner added in a statement he has questions about how the plan will be executed.
'TRADOC is an asset to Virginia,' Warner, a Democrat, said in the statement. 'On the recently proposed merger, we have yet to see from the Army any hard data and specifics related to what this means for continued footprint and personnel numbers at Fort Eustis.'
Rep. Rob Wittman, a Republican who represents areas surrounding Fort Eustis including York County and Williamsburg, said in a statement that 'rigorous congressional oversight is critical' as the proposed merger goes forward and he'd oppose any plans that negatively impact TRADOC or Fort Eustis. Wittman said he has met with Army leadership, including George, to discuss operational impacts and potential legislative action. He said based on those discussions, TRADOC's presence will be preserved in Virginia but the impacts to positions and living quarters are unknown.
Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Virginia Beach, who does not represent the Peninsula but is a Navy veteran, also called for congressional oversight of the reorganization plan.
'We owe it to our service members, civilians and communities to ensure decisions are grounded in strategic necessity, not convenience, and that the full operational and personnel impacts are clearly understood before moving forward,' Kiggans said in a statement.
Rep. Bobby Scott, a Democrat who represents Newport News where Fort Eustis is located, could not be reached for comment.
Devlin Epding, 757-510-4037, devlin.epding@virginiamedia.com
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