ROBINS 2020A Proactive Five-Year Initiative to Protect

and Strengthen Robins Air Force Basea Vital Economic Engine for Middle Georgia

and a Critical National Defense Asset

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The Honorable Jim Marshall GENERAL CAMPAIGN CHAIR

Macon, GeorgiaNovember 11, 2015

I am pleased to announce the launch of “Robins 2020,” an expanded, proactive Five-Year initiative to protect and strengthen Robins Air Force Base, and I write to ask you to join this initiative in the spirit of those generous and enlightened middle Georgia business, civic and political leaders who gave birth to Robins at the outset of World War II and countless other business, civic and political leaders that have nurtured Robins over the years.

Protecting and growing Robins was “job number one” for me when I served in Congress. Why? It wasn’t simply because Robins’ missions are important to national security; it was because they were being executed here, not elsewhere. As Robins goes, so goes middle Georgia.

In my Congressional efforts to protect and grow Robins, I had no better ally than the 21st Century Partnership, a narrowly focused development entity dedicated solely to preserving and growing Robins and its $2.7 billion annual economic impact. The strength and vitality of the Partnership is closely linked to the continuing strength and vitality of Robins. Robins competes for missions with other military bases that have well-funded development entities like the Partnership. Robins also competes with the private sector.

In the past year alone, the economic impact of Robins has declined by $150 million — $900K in payroll and $600K in contract dollars. We need to slow or reverse this trend. And the best way to do that is to strengthen the Partnership.

I hope you will join a broad coalition of generous business, civic and political leaders committed to funding the Partnership’s Five-Year Initiative.

I personally look forward to working with you to drive this campaign and initiative to success.

Very respectfully,

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Patricia Brock, 561st Aircraft Maintenance Squadron aircraft mechanic, said, “When I’m helping to check the aircraft, it’s like I’m flying and landing the jet myself. My job is interesting, challenging and different.

Workforce and Community

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Albert Brown, 560th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron sheet metal mechanic, repairs a C-130 paratroop door as part of a programmed depot maintenance at Robins.

Personnel from the C-17 System Program Office, Boeing and aircrew members from the 437th Airlift Wing pose for a photo in front of a C-17 Globemaster III at Robins Air Force Base, GA.

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1993 21st Century Partnership created

1995 SURVIVED

2005 SURVIVED AND GREW

H Looking Back

H I S TO R Y O F 21st C E N T U R Y PA R N T E R S H I P

1993, 1995 A N D 2005 B R A C R O U N D SPrior to 1993, there was no development entity specializing in addressing threats to and pursuing opportunities for Robins Air Force Base. During the 1993 BRAC process, Robins and the four installations hosting the other Air Logistics Centers were added to the BRAC list for evaluation. At the request of Senator Sam Nunn, the 21st Century Partnership was quickly formed to defend Robins — and middle Georgia — during the critical BRAC process. Because the 1993 efforts of the Partnership were clearly beneficial in fending off significant BRAC damage to Robins and the economy of middle Georgia, the business, civic and political leaders that created the Partnership wisely kept it intact.

Two years later, Robins and the four installations hosting the other Air Logistics Centers were added to the BRAC 1995 list as well. Fortunately, in part due to the work of the Partnership, Robins and the economy of middle Georgia were once again spared. However two other bases were closed/realigned (Kelly AFB, TX and McClellan AFB, CA) since their respective Air Logistics Centers were closed.

In what has now become a worrisome pattern, the military value of Robins and its surrounding community were once again evaluated in BRAC 2005. Again with leadership from the Partnership, not only did Robins survive, it also gained additional missions.

P O S T-2005Following the 2005 BRAC, the Partnership continued its work to protect and grow Robins. Indeed, the Partnership’s structure, mission, and approach have matured tremendously, but we are not the only ones upping the ante. Today we find ourselves both in partnership and competition with sophisticated, well-funded development entities associated with other military installations. And we’ve witnessed many significant changes at Robins. These changes resulted from non-BRAC budgetary and other programmatic decisions made by the Air Force. And they have had an impact similar to what an actual BRAC could have had – but without the protections of congressional oversight.

Here’s one significant example. In 2012, Robins’ parent command, Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC), established the Air Force Sustainment Center (AFSC) at Tinker AFB, OK and the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center

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2005 SURVIVED AND GREW

2015 - 2017 2017 - ? ? ? ?

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(AFLCMC) at Wright Patterson AFB, OH. Their functions are to separate the oversight of depot operations and program management respectively. This effort not only resulted in a complete re-organization of all AFMC resources, but also changed reporting structures, effectively lessening the clout of Robins as a stand-alone organization. For decades, a two-star general commanded the Robins depot. The current structure reduces the rank to a one-star who reports to a newly established three-star at the AFSC headquarters at Tinker AFB. More changes are on the horizon with the standing up of the Air Force Installation Management Center (AFIMC) in San Antonio. Again, this effort will shift oversight of Robins’ installation management activity from Robins to San Antonio.

Clearly, the vitality and strength of the Partnership is as critical now as it ever was. Too much is at stake for middle Georgia. And knowing that generous business, civic and political leaders will step forward to provide the needed resources, we have developed two goals aimed at securing the continued growth and vibrancy of Robins. But before delving into these, here’s a summary of what we do, how we do it and our recent activities:

W H AT W E D O A N D H O W W E D O I T

The Partnership is a highly specialized development entity that focuses exclusively on protecting and growing Robins, middle Georgia’s economic engine. We do this in partnership with other middle Georgia public and private entities, most notably local governments, chambers and development authorities. We both have and continuously develop and build invaluable relationships, contacts, experience and expertise concerning growth opportunities and threats for Robins’ military missions and related commercial contracting. And we work, typically with many partners, to pursue the opportunities and stave off the threats. Our staff is lean and always active. Our board is engaged and includes key middle Georgia business, civic and political leaders. We prioritize our work to principally focus on near term (next 3 to 4 years) opportunities and challenges. And we “shake every tree,” tapping resources in the Pentagon, Congress, contractors, Robins’ leaders and employees, local community and development leaders, a wide spectrum of industry representatives plus national experts and consultants to help us identify and execute our to-do lists.

R E C E N T W O R K A N D A C C O M P L I S H M E N T S

H Conducted 15 studies to assess the military value, in relation to the BRAC measures, of Robins both inside and outside “the fence.”

H Increased efforts to enhance community and government awareness of Robins, establish dialogue, and form new relationships with ever changing leadership in strategic locations, such as Washington D.C. and Atlanta and Air Force Command Centers in Dayton and Oklahoma City.

H Enhanced Partnership communication initiatives through both social and traditional media outlets to ensure middle Georgians are aware of the potential impact, both positive and negative, of the likely future BRAC as well as ongoing non-BRAC budgetary and programmatic changes.

H Established regular meetings with union leadership on Robins in order to continue to improve production/performance, lower grievances and promote “buy in” from the civilian employees on Robins.

H Developed solutions to the encroachment issue working closely with local business and community leaders and partnered with the Clean Air Coalition to address air quality issues for Robins.

H Participated in an Air Force Secretariat-level pilot program (Public/Public and Public/ Private Initiatives) designed to improve Robins’ operating efficiency and reduce costs.

H Developed / hosted S.H.A.R.E. (Sharing Help Assistance Resources for Everyone) events to provide support to those negatively impacted by sequestration and furloughs/reductions at Robins.

H Fostered S.T.E.M. activities in developing the region’s workforce. The 21st Century Partnership has been working with regional chambers of commerce and the Aerospace Industry Committees (AIC) on three S.T.E.M. summits to address the future needs of the aerospace engineering industry.

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The Five-Year Initiative is comprised of two goals:

G O A L 1: A D V O C AT E F O R R O B I N S A N D C O M M U N I T Y The Partnership plans to increase the frequency of regular meetings with local, state, federal, and military officials in order to collaboratively shape legislation and policy benefiting Robins. Areas of particular interest are noted below.

I. Advocate with Legislators and the Department of Defense. There are a host of decisions that take place without a BRAC process that could have a significant impact on the workload and future missions at Robins. For that reason, we must assume there is a target on our back and/or a prize hidden just over the horizon. The alternative to BRAC is commonly referred to as “death by a thousand cuts” or “growth in steady increments” as decisions are made to shift workload, cut personnel, retire aircraft and move missions. These decisions are made inside the Pentagon and without the transparency and protections of the BRAC process. We need to influence these decisions on the front side and inside the Pentagon before they are made.

II. Revitalize the Congressional Depot Caucus. We are convinced all depot communities must work together to revitalize and support the Congressional Depot Caucus. In the past, this Caucus rallied stakeholders to ensure that the unique value depots provide to our national security was well understood in the Pentagon and on Capitol Hill. This critical task must continue. To his credit, Representative Austin Scott, has been working to keep the Congressional Depot Caucus alive and effective.

III. “Go-to” Information Source. The Partnership will continue to serve as the trusted source for up-to-date information about Robins’ news of relevance to the community, continuing to generate or contribute local and regional media stories highlighting the current defense landscape and issues that could impact the Robins region now or in the future.

IV. Ensure Enforcement of the “50-50” Rule at the Depot. Robins workload is coveted by a host of public and private sector entities. The “50-50” rule requires that at least 50% percent of depot maintenance work be performed in public sector depots by public sector employees; the remaining work may be performed by civilian contractors. Repeal of the “50-50” legislation could have devastating consequences to Robins and the region as more than 9,000 public sector workers directly support depot operations at Robins. If the depot work were to be reallocated to contractors, numerous federal employees would be laid off, and they, their families and their workload could well leave middle Georgia. The Partnership will work to protect “50-50”.

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55,653 total regional jobs

G O A L 2: S T R E N G T H E N R O B I N S A N D C O M M U N I T YThe Partnership is proactively preparing for the wave of Department of Defense drawdowns executed through programmatic cuts e.g. “stealth BRAC” and eventually through a BRAC process. We are also assessing the competitiveness of Robins/middle Georgia, and are seeking new areas of opportunity. Below illustrates areas of focus in these efforts.

I. Retain Current and Source New Missions. In today’s defense landscape, limited fiscal resources are forcing the services to think differently about accomplishing the mission. Therefore, we must widen the aperture of the way we have done business in the past when sourcing new opportunities for Robins. We must not only consider the opportunities within the Air Force, but also look at potential workload from sister services, other federal agencies, private industry, etc. As we look to bolster the long-term capability of our base and community, we must evaluate all opportunities regardless of source.

II. Evaluate Potential Depot Maintenance Partnerships. There is no doubt that the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) like Boeing, Lockheed, and Northrup Grumman would like to play a more significant role in the depot level maintenance of their products throughout the entire life cycle. The challenge and the path to victory for the depots may well be to seek partnerships with the OEMs and thus find ways to obtain private sector efficiencies by integrating the OEMs into depot operations. Pending such a development, however, the Partnership must work to ensure public ownership of the relevant data rights and specialized processes and equipment needed for public sustainment and modernization of current and new Air Force platforms.

III. Continue to Assess Competitiveness. The Partnership has identified 15 community topical areas / critical factors likely to be considered during the BRAC process, factors that are routinely considered in non-BRAC budget and programmatic decisions. These community factors include: Air Quality | Cost of Living | Child Care | Transportation Infrastructure | Innovation Index | Capacity For New Missions | Education | Veterans Services | Health Care | Crime | Encroachment | Capacity to Grow | Housing | Economic Impact | and Community Cost Reduction InitiativesThe Partnership continues to work these areas with regional stakeholders to “move the needle” in a positive direction.

important note: By assessing these critical factors and collaborating with community partners to develop and implement action plans to address transportation, crime, education, etc., the Partnership improves the “environment for business,” effectively supporting all local economic development efforts. In a very real sense, an investment in the Partnership can be viewed as a “2 for 1” – the invested dollar supports the strength of Robins AND area business recruitment efforts and other economic growth strategies.

IV. Improving Base Efficiency / Effectiveness through Community Partnerships. We will continue to participate in the P4 initiative already mentioned. This involves discussions between Robins and community leaders to identify capabilities and resources outside Robins that might serve Robins and benefit the community simultaneously.

V. Promote Economic Diversification in Middle Georgia. A substantial portion of earned wages in the region (28%) comes from Robins, so it is critical for the Partnership and its economic development partners to facilitate new business growth to protect the region in the event of changes at Robins.

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28% regionally

earned wages

Economic Impact

Since 1942, Robins has been a critical asset to our national defense and a

powerful economic engine in middle Georgia. Today, Robins is the largest

single site industrial complex in the state of Georgia. It has approximately

23,000 civilian, military, and contract employees, with an annual federal

payroll of $1.3 billion. Additionally, Robins serves about 26,000 military

and civilian retirees, with an annual federal payroll of $699 million.

The table below, prepared using Georgia Tech economic modeling and

data reported by the Middle Georgia Regional Commission , depicts a

five-year snapshot of the economic impact from Robins and illustrates the effects

of declining DoD budgets and sequestration.

note: FY2015 reflects 5yr lows in all categories except retirees and retiree payroll.

C U R R E N T E C O N O M I C I M PA C TRobins AFB total employment impact:

22,259 direct jobs

33,394 indirect jobs (based on multiplier)

55,653 total jobs in the middle GA region

28.86% of middle GA region workforce employment

58.45% of Houston County workforce employment

$1.3 billion payroll (includes civilian, military and contractors)

$1.04 billion personal consumption expenditures (using .8000 natl. avg. rates)

2.62 jobs multiplier for Robins AFB – for every one job created or lost at Robins, an estimated additional 1.62 jobs are created or lost within the Robins region.

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$2.7 billion

direct annualimpact

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STEEL = HIGH RED m = LOW

TOTAL RETIREE CONTRACT DIRECTCY YEAR MILITARY CIVILIAN OTHER TOTAL PAYROLL RETIREES PAYROLL DOLLARS ANNUAL IMPACT

2013 6534 15285 2873 24692 $1.41B 25338 $692M $7.85B $2.87B

2014 6482 14632 2393 23507 $1.39B 23682m $645M $5.1B $2.85B

2015 6093m 13603m 2563 22259m $1.3Bm 25559 $699M $4.5Bm $2.7Bm

2.62 jobs

regionally

1 = job at Robins

The plus or minus reality

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On average, if a 300 person mission was moved from Robins, an additional 486 jobs would be lost due to the Robins job multiplier effect of 2.62:

786 total jobs lost

$39,109,020 in lost wages • $17,520,900 (salary for 300 jobs on Robins) • $21,588,120 (median income outside Robins x 486)

$195,545,100 not being spent in the local economy (using the economic multiplier effect of 5 for dollar circulation).

The majority of Robins’ $2.7 billion in payroll, retiree and contract dollars are spent locally and a significant

portion of those spent dollars circulate locally. Ignoring money circulation but including the 2.62 jobs multiplier

and using only median income, the following graph roughly depicts how dollars brought in or created by Robins

annually are spent in middle Georgia. And these totals are significantly less than they would be if average

money circulation effects were included! The table reflects only the first round of local expenditures.

D I S T R I B U T I O N O F C O N S U M E R E X P E N D I T U R E S (M A J O R C AT E G O R I E S)

*The Expenditure percentage is derived from the annual Consumer Expenditure Survey conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and provides information on the buying habits of American consumers and data on their expenditures in four regions (Northeast, Midwest, South, and West).

H = m300Robins

personnel

m$195 million

local consumption

Budget and Future Challenges

C AT E G O R Y A N N U A L B U D G E T

Advocate for Robins and middle Georgia $200,000 • Advocate with Legislators and the DoD • “Go to” Information SourceStrengthen Robins and middle Georgia $150,000 • Source New Missions • Improve Base Efficiency & EffectivenessOperations $350,000 • Personnel • Travel • ContractsCommunications / Marketing $100,000BRAC “Surge” Defense Fund* $200,000

* The “Surge“ Defense Fund may be needed to address threats to major Robins’ missions – including possible repeated travel to Washington D.C. / Atlanta for response team or a study / response to a significant environmental issue associated with Robins.

Annual Total $1,000,000Five-Year Total / Campaign Goal $5,000,000

P R OJ E C T E D G R O W T H O F S TA F F

1. Project Manager / Special Projects Coordinator dedicated to: a. Strengthening Robins and middle Georgia through public/public and public/private partnerships by promoting the strengths and opportunities available on Robins. b. Assisting and partnering with area economic development organizations to develop opportunities inside and outside the fence.

2. Communications / Marketing Coordinator dedicated to: a. Increasing community engagement and awareness. b. Increasing awareness and engagement in CFC (Combined Federal Campaign) to increase civilian base employees “buy in” on protecting Robins. c. Engaging the local federal retiree community.

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“In order to implement the Initiative

and protect middle Georgia’s greatest

asset, we must increase our capacity,

resources and opportunities.”

— Lt. General (Retired) Charles “Charlie” Stenner Jr.

PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

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“As Robins goes, so goes middle Georgia.”

— Congressman Jim Marshall

And Remember

EDIMGIAFAD

804 PARK DRIVE

WARNER ROBINS, GA 31088

478.225.9005

WWW. 2 1 S TC E N T U RY PA R T N E R S H I P.COM

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