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Ft. Stewart to gain nearly 3,900 in Army growth plans By RUSS BYNUM - AP Military Writer -- Fort Stewart will add nearly 3,900 soldiers under a plan announced Wednesday by the Army to grow its forces in the next few years. That means the largest Army post east of the Mississippi River will grow by nearly 18 percent to about 25,900 troops and their families - and bring an anticipated economic boost to neighboring Hinesville and Liberty County in southeast Georgia. "It's a great moment for Fort Stewart and our local community," Buchs told reporters. "I think it's a great testament to our capability." The Army chose Fort Stewart along with Fort Carson, Colo., and Fort Bliss, Texas, as the locations for six new combat brigades - part of the Army's plan to grow by 65,000 active-duty soldiers. Technically, two of those new brigades will be based at Fort Stewart. However, one brigade will be created by converting one of Fort Stewart's existing heavy brigades, which use tanks and Bradley armored vehicles, into an infantry brigade relying on wheeled vehicles such as Humvees. The net gain at Fort Stewart, therefore, will be one brigade plus several hundred support troops for a total of 3,889 soldiers, Buchs said. Fort Stewart will need to build new barracks, headquarters and administrative buildings to accommodate the newcomers, Buchs said, and may have to add new family housing, child care centers and fire stations. Housing will be in demand as well in the surrounding communities - as the Army post only houses about 25 percent of its soldiers and their families. "Any increase in our troops here is definitely a good thing, so I'm excited," said Kenny Smiley, executive director of the Liberty County Chamber of Commerce. Hinesville Mayor Tom Ratcliffe said the growth shouldn't be much of a strain because the city has been planning ahead. Within the last two years, Hinesville has annexed an additional 2,500 acres of property and plans to bring a new 2 million-gallon wastewater treatment plant online later this month. "A whole lot of planning and thought has been going into infrastructure," Ratcliffe said. "Will the growth be significant? Of course it will, but we've been anticipating the growth." All four combat brigades of the 3rd Infantry, including a brigade based at Fort Benning, are currently serving 15-month tours in Iraq. It's the third deployment for the division since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. Russ Bynum has covered the military based in Georgia since 2001. |
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