M Live:
Michigan legislators continue to push to have Fort Custer become the U.S. Department of Defense’s choice for a $3.2 billion missile defense system to safeguard the eastern United States.
Fifteen members of the Michigan Congressional delegation sent a letter Monday to the director of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, voicing their support for Fort Custer Training Center.
The training center, which has hundreds of acres that straddle the Kalamazoo/Calhoun county line, is one of three locations in the eastern United State under consideration for a possible Continental United States Interceptor Site.
The defense system will employ missiles to shoot down any incoming intercontinental ballistic missiles that may be fired at the eastern United States. The interceptor missiles at Fort Custer would not have an explosive element, and would be contained in underground silos, spokesmen for the Missile Defense Agency have said.
“Since 1917, Fort Custer has played an integral part in training our armed forces for vital national security missions,” the Michigan Congressional delegation writes in its letter to Vice Admiral James D. Syring, director of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency. “It supports over 190,000 training mandays annually, hosts nine tenants, including the Army, Marine and Naval reserves, and stands ready to take on this new mission. Locating the interceptor at Fort Custer would bring a welcomed $3.2 billion in economic impact, including $700 million in new construction.”
The letter also stated that the project would also employ 300 jobs directly and up to 1,800 support jobs.
“Given all of these considerations, we strongly support Fort Custer Training Center as the preferred Continental United States Interceptor Site and look forward to staying engaged as the selection process continues,” according to the delegation.
The letter was signed by U.S. Sens. Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters, as well as U.S. Reps. U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, Brenda Lawrence, Candice Miller, Mike Bishop, Bill Huizenga, Dan Benishek, John Moolenaar, Tim Walberg, Dan Kildee, Dave Trott, Sander Levin, Debbie Dingell and John Conyers.
The only member of the Michigan Congressional delegation who did not sign the letter was Justin Amash, R-Cascade Township.
The letter coincides with the Missile Defense Agency apparently completing its assessment of the environmental impacts of having a missile defense system at Fort Custer Training Center.
According to the legislators, the assessment showed that the environmental impacts would be minimal “and that unlike the other sites, Fort Custer would not require additional surveys or cause significant harm to protected species or habitats.”
