Lewis-McChord adding thousands more soldiers

TACOMA – The Army says it plans to add up to nearly 5,700 more active-duty soldiers at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

The News Tribune of Tacoma reports that the additional troops would arrive through 2015, boosting the local economy while placing further demands on roads, housing and schools. The number of active-duty soldiers at the base would approach 36,000, a number that does not include Air Force or other service members on the newly consolidated base.

The Army projects that more than 8,600 family members would accompany the new soldiers, according to the final environmental impact statement for the plans.

The growth at the base has been dramatic in the past decade. In the late 1990s, a master plan for the base assumed it would have 18,000 to 20,000 troops. In 2007, Fort Lewis had some 23,000 soldiers.

The study reviews the potential for having the additional troops at the base, including up to 1,000 new combat service support soldiers and up to 2,800 soldiers assigned to a combat aviation brigade.

The combat aviation brigade would be the most significant addition, if approved. It would include 110 helicopters, among them 24 attack helicopters; about 700 vehicles; and associated buildings. It would support three Stryker brigades and other units already based at Lewis-McChord.