GOVERNOR PATRICK SIGNS AN EXECUTIVE ORDER RENAMING THE MASSACHUSETTS MILITARY RESERVATION TO JOINT BASE CAPE COD
Governor Patrick, Congresswoman Niki Tsongas and Former U.S. Senator William "Mo" Cowan will CoChair the Commonwealth's Military Asset and Security Strategy Task Force
BOSTON - Friday, July 19, 2013 - Governor Deval Patrick today signed Executive Order No. 547 to change the name of the Massachusetts Military Reservation (MMR) to Joint Base Cape Cod to more accurately reflect the ongoing missions and collaborative partnerships happening on the base.
"Joint Base Cape Cod supports and strengthens the Commonwealth's and our nation's security while at the same time boosting the local economy and creating jobs," said Governor Patrick. "Renaming the base more accurately reflects the important ongoing work and opens up more opportunities for joint services and cost savings. Joint Base Cape Cod and Massachusetts' other five military bases are vital to fueling our innovationbased economy and will continue to have this Administration's support through the Military Asset and Security Strategy Task Force which I am now proud to serve as a CoChair."
Governor Patrick signed Executive Order No. 547, changing the name of the Massachusetts Military Reservation to Joint Base Cape Cod. (Photo: Eric Haynes/Governor's Office)
Joint Base Cape Cod is the largest military installation in geographical size in the Commonwealth, covering 22,000 acres on Upper Cape Cod, and is a uniquely organized joint installation with components from the Army National Guard (Camp Edwards), Air National Guard (Otis Air National Guard Base), United States Coast Guard (Air Station Cape Cod) and United States Air Force (6th Space Warning Squadron PavePAWS). In addition, there are close to 30 other tenants on JBCC with affiliation to the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security and other federal, state and county entities. JBCC employs nearly 4,000 full and parttime military, federal and state civilian employees and had an economic impact of $405 million in 2011.
Renaming the MMR at this time will serve several important purposes to properly brand the base, more accurately reflect both the current and future joint relationships that exist on base, support the base commanders' need and desire to link themselves more closely together, and coordinate activities between the base commanders through the JBCC Executive Director and the base's Joint Oversight Group. Renaming the base also better positions the overall installation and the important missions conducted there against potential downsizing initiatives such as BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure Commission), Force Realignments and Mission Changes.
The multiple missions on Joint Base Cape Cod include:
The idea to rename this base was pursued by the Commonwealth's Military Asset and Security Strategy Task Force as part of its ongoing efforts to position, promote and enhance the people and missions at Massachusetts' six military bases.
In 2012 Governor Patrick supported the Task Force's creation to assess each installation's military assets, infrastructure and growth opportunities. The six military bases include: Westover Air Reserve Base in Chicopee; Barnes Air National Guard Base in Westfield; Natick Soldier Systems Center; Fort Devens; Hanscom Air Force Base; and the newly renamed Joint Base Cape Cod. These installations account for a total economic impact of $14.2 billion and over 46,500 jobs for the Massachusetts economy.
Previously led by former Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray, Governor Patrick also announced today that he, Congresswoman Niki Tsongas and former U.S. Senator William "Mo" Cowan, will serve as cochairs of the Military Asset and Security Strategy Task Force going forward.
As the only member of Massachusetts' Congressional delegation serving on an Armed Services Committee, Congresswoman Niki Tsongas plays a critical role in supporting the Commonwealth's defense sector at the federal level, and has valuable relationships with military leadership. She frequently joined former Lieutenant Governor Murray and fellow members of the Task Force, which she has been an active member of since the group's creation, for visits to Hanscom Air Force Base, Fort Devens, Natick Soldier Systems Center and Joint Base Cape Cod.
"Serving on the Armed Services Committee, and most recently when visiting Afghanistan, I have seen firsthand the essential resources and cuttingedge technology the Commonwealth's military installations provide to the United States Armed Services," said Congresswoman Tsongas. "The skilled workforce, worldclass educational institutions and advanced technology companies that are unique to this region create an important synergy that provides unequaled advantages to our military. Thanks to the leadership of Governor Patrick, the partnership of the entire Congressional delegation, and the support of key public and private stakeholders, there should be no doubt as to the Commonwealth's singular commitment to supporting and promoting our remarkable military installations and the talented people located here."
Finally, joining the Governor and Congresswoman as the third CoChair, is former U.S. Senator William "Mo" Cowan. Senator Cowan, who made an impressive mark on Washington during his tenure in the U.S. Senate, brings a unique understanding of the inner workings of both the State House and Congress. As the Governor's previous Chief of Staff and Chief Legal Counsel, along with the personal relationships he has built with his colleagues in the U.S. Senate, Senator Cowan has much to offer to this effort as he returns to Massachusetts.
"I am proud to support the renaming of the Massachusetts Military Reservation to Joint Base Cape Cod, a name that more accurately reflects its vital work," said former Senator Cowan. "More importantly, I join the Governor in giving thanks to the men and women who serve on all of Massachusetts' military bases. Their sacrifices keep our nation and Commonwealth safe and their work contributes a great deal to our local economy."
In addition to the cochairs, Senator Elizabeth Warren, Senator Edward Markey and all other members of the Commonwealth's Congressional delegation will be involved as critical partners in support of all bases statewide.
"This new name reflects the robust and diverse work done at Joint Base Cape Cod, and the strong role this base and others around the Commonwealth play in our economy," said Senator Markey. "Governor Patrick is right to give this base the high respect it deserves, and engaging Congresswoman Tsongas and Mo Cowan as leaders in the effort to promote and protect our military assets shows his commitment to our service members and the security they provide."
"The military presence on Cape Cod is a vital part of our local community and national security," said Congressman Bill Keating. "I welcome today's official renaming because it more accurately reflects the base's place in our military structure and further demonstrates the important role Joint Base Cape Cod plays in keeping our country safe."
"The Task Force is instrumental in preserving and growing the Defense Department missions located in Massachusetts that are vital to our national security and that contribute more than $14 billion to the state economy and employ 46,500 people across Massachusetts," said Defense Technology Initiative (DTI) President Chris Anderson. "By pledging his participation in the Task Force, Governor Patrick is demonstrating his desire for a continuity in leadership and the Commonwealth's commitment to advancing its strategic objectives with critical insight and support from Congresswoman Tsongas and former U.S. Senator Mo Cowan."
DTI, created by the Massachusetts High Technology Council during the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC), has built a strong case to protect the defense industry across New England. In Massachusetts, DTI has assembled a team that includes local business and industry experts including: MITRE, MIT's Lincoln Labs, Draper Labs, BAE Systems, Textron, Lockheed Martin, Dynamics Research Corporation, Oasis Systems, Northeastern University and the University of Massachusetts. As a leader of the Task Force's Business, Industry and Military Alignment subcommittee, DTI continues to further advance this work on behalf of the Commonwealth.
"As a proven and premier military installation in the Northeast region, the Massachusetts Military Reservation successfully prepared service members for worldwide deployments for over 100 years," said Major General L. Scott Rice, The Adjutant General, Massachusetts National Guard. "Renaming the MMR to Joint Base Cape Cod will enhance awareness of the installation's joint operations and promote the current and future missions of the Army National Guard, Air National Guard, Coast Guard and Air Force."
"Since 1970 when Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod was first established by combining the assets of Salem and Quonset Point, the management of the Massachusetts Military Reservation has been a shared operation," said Commander David Ehlers of U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod. "While successful in carrying out our individual missions, the combined effort to meet Federal, State, and Local objectives has always outweighed the sum of the individual parts. Our long standing collective partnership is now more accurately reflected in the name 'Joint Base Cape Cod.' We will now be able to more effectively provide the same high level of Federal, State and Local customer service we have been proud to provide for the last four decades."
"The naming of Joint Base Cape Cod is an important step in creating an enduring, efficient, and effective management structure for the missions and resources of Upper Cape Cod," said Lieutenant Colonel Z. Walter Jackim, Commander of the U.S. Air Force's 6 th Space Warning Squadron. "The installation commanders of the Massachusetts Military Reservation have understood the importance of Interagency cooperation for decades. Each component, whether active duty or reserve, whether national or Commonwealth, whether military or civilian; creates unique strengths and capabilities. Sharing these capabilities have reduced operating costs, enhanced mission effectiveness and improved quality of service. We are pleased the Governor has chosen to name our installation Joint Base Cape Cod. It accurately reflects a cooperative spirit inherent to our shared operations."
