WASHINGTON -- Plans to cut 2,600 troops at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage are officially on hold, the U.S. Army announced Monday.
The location and specialized training of the unit once destined for the cuts -- the 4-25 Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne) -- are too valuable to lose in the "rapidly changing global security environment," the Army said in its announcement.
"This is one of the most trained and ready units in the United States Army," said Gen. Mark Milley, the Army's chief of staff.
The cuts to the "4-25" were part of a nationwide decision to cut up to 40,000 Army soldiers, reducing the "BCT" to a smaller, battalion-sized force of about 1,000 soldiers.
But after Alaska's congressional delegation argued doggedly for months that the unit is indispensable for its strategic location and cold-weather skills, the message appears to have taken hold.
Acting Secretary of the Army Patrick J. Murphy pointed to "continued Russian aggression, the nuclear provocations of North Korea, and the continued threat from ISIL," and said the Anchorage-based unit "is ready to rapidly deploy and conduct decisive operations in urban and mountainous environments."
The brigade combat team completed a key training exercise at the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, Louisiana, last month, where the soldiers had the chance to try and convince top leaders to keep the unit intact. A U.S. Army article said the exercise showed that the 4-25 is "the only U.S. airborne unit in the Pacific region capable of performing forcible entry operations."
The official announcement comes after months of suggestions from high-ranking military officials that the cuts were not a done deal. In October, officials conceded that the drawdown had not begun as planned, just as Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan got a rider in a defense authorization bill requiring that the military undertake a lengthy operations plan for the Arctic.
And just last week, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said in a hearing that he would approve a recommendation to hold off on the cuts, if Milley sent it to him. Under questioning from Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski last month, Milley said, "it would be contrary to strategic national security interests to go ahead and pull out the 4-25 at this time. So my thought is that we should extend them at least a year to see how the strategic situation develops and then move from there."
The announcement is a victory for Sullivan and the rest of the state's congressional delegation, who have been pushing to retain the forces since the announcement in July. Sullivan and Murkowski have pushed military leaders on the issue during hearings, and Sullivan scored key meetings with top brass during the Senate confirmation process for some officials, which he used to lobby on behalf of the Alaska troops.
"This is a good day for Alaska and a good day for America," Sullivan said, noting that "keeping the 4-25 intact has been a top priority" during his first year in the Senate.
With the announcement, "the Army sent a strong message that America remains dedicated to our rebalance to the Asia-Pacific, understands our leading role in the Arctic, and is unyielding in our support for our critical alliances with Japan and South Korea," Sullivan said.
Murkowski said the original decision to eliminate the 4-25 was "shortsighted," and pointed to "North Korea's provocative actions," Russian military action, among other issues.
Murkowski, who sits on the Senate Appropriations Committee, said she would be working "through the appropriations process to ensure this important capability is maintained into the future."
The process to preserve the 4-25 continues, but in terms of the strategic value of the 4-25, "the Army has heard our message loud and clear," said Rep. Don Young.
Young said he will continue his efforts to ensure the cuts do not happen, "so JBER's 4-25 can continue its status as the only airborne brigade in the Pacific."