Which armories will be closed?
Atchison, Burlington, Chanute, Cherryvale, Council Grove, Fort Scott, Garden City, Garnett, Goodland, Horton, Kingman, Larned, Phillipsburg, Russell, Sabetha, *Salina East, Troy, and Winfield. (*Salina East building remains open for other Guard use, but armory operation to be transferred out. Building is now 100 percent federally funded).

How were they chosen?
A comprehensive strategic analysis was conducted examining a variety of options surrounding the closure of armories and consolidation of operations. The analysis included location and proximity to other armories, historical and projected demographic shifts in population, consolidation of operations, condition of current facilities and the potential to expand to accommodate new mission requirements in the future, required facility upgrades and maintenance costs. One of the requirements the Adjutant General insisted on was ensuring a National Guard presence in each of the seven homeland security regions to support domestic response operations.

Will there be any layoffs?
A3.)  No. The personnel working at these facilities will be transferred to other armory locations. Training equipment and other items needed to continue operations will also be moved to those locations. There will be 29 full time personnel affected and 412 traditional soldiers impacted by going to a different location for work/drill.

Why now?
A4.)  We’ve been looking at the need to reduce armory expenses for some time because we have been receiving considerably less funds than required to adequately sustain the facilities. Since FY 2000, specific funding for armory upkeep has been reduced from $837,000 to projected amount in FY 2011 of $229,000. With additional cuts in the state budget, we are left with little choice, but to take these steps. Even with a return to funding levels in recent years, we will not be able to sustain the remaining 38 armory operations. Specific funding for armory upkeep and utilities was approximately $837,000 in FY 2000 and this amount was not keeping up with costs. Since 2000, utility costs alone have risen over $500,000. Armory bonds have been used to replace roofs and bring many of our armories closer to code compliance.

Our armories were built 40 to 50 years ago based on demographics and key transportation routes and were designed to support Company/Battery size units – 100 to 150 or more troops, but as of today the armories we are closing have no more than 64 authorized (Council Grove)  and, in fact, 16 of them have fewer than 50 authorized, and 12 have fewer than 40.

What other options did you consider?
A5.)  Many options were considered, but most centered on operational cuts and staffing cuts. Recently, we have held positions open, cut state active duty funds by $8,000, and the Kansas Division of Emergency Management reduced its budget by $64,000.

How does the funding for armories work?
A6.)  The armories are both state and federally funded; however, most of the employees who work at the armories are federal employees (Kansas National Guardsmen). There are five state employees statewide who do all they can to provide emergency repairs to our facilities. Beginning in FY 2003, we asked for an increase of 49 FTE to improve our ability to sustain our armories. The need for additional maintenance staff has remained an ongoing issue since that time, but we understand the state’s fiscal limitations precluded any ability to expand our maintenance staff. In fact, we have reduced two positions in the last few years. In the past, the armories have operated on much less than the required budget. The state budget pays for utilities, maintenance and upkeep. Within federal budget limitations, we have done all we can to maximize federal support of our facilities.

Is the closure list permanent?
Yes, the decision has been made to permanently close these specific armories based on the factors of location and proximity to other armories, condition, required facility upgrades and maintenance costs, and presence of armories in each region of the state for domestic response.

While we would like to be in every community, this is simply not realistic under the current and future budget situations. We have never had armories in all 105 counties or all Kansas communities, yet we have successfully managed response efforts in communities and counties where no armories exist. A few examples include tornado response to Greensburg and Chapman, flooding response to portions of southeast Kansas in recent years. However, our Guardsmen live in every county in the state and represent communities proudly.

Effect on units and soldiers?
A8.)  We are minimizing the impact on any single unit by trying not to consolidate/close more than 50 percent of their armory locations. Some soldiers will have to travel a little further to drill, but others will travel less.

Effect on other TAG initiatives?
These cuts leave us able to only marginally sustain critical agency operations. We do have a strategic plan that seeks to create four regional training centers in the state, where we will train with the state’s other public safety personnel, but this is only a strategic plan. We do not like to close armories and have no desire to close any more armories. Further cuts will be extremely difficult for us and, in fact, may place our force structure in jeopardy. If we do not adequately maintain our facilities, we can have units withdrawn by the US Army and they will be assigned to other states or removed from the National Guard entirely.

Effect on Disaster Response?
The troop strength and available equipment of the Kansas National Guard have not been impacted by this armory consolidation. The Kansas National Guard will continue to maintain a strategic presence in communities throughout the state to ensure we can fulfill our state mission to support civilian response to protect Kansans in the midst of disasters. Even though we cannot have an armory in every community, the Kansas National Guard will go wherever we are needed.

Air Guard cuts?
The Kansas Air Guard has already taken a cut of $30,863 in state funds in the past (for a total cut of $123,452 including federal funds). Recent additional cuts will mean the Air Guard will have its budget reduced by $50,000 for the Air Support Operations Squadron (ASOS) building (for a total of $200,000 when counting federal match).

What is the total savings of closing these facilities?
In addition to the $156,000 from the FY 10 budget, we will save more than $264,000 from the FY 11 budget. However, that does not factor in the long-term maintenance costs for each armory necessary on a regular basis to bring into compliance or to make minimal repairs/improvements. Total savings by closing these 18 armories are as follows: average utilities are $18,000 per year, deferred maintenance costs per armory are $40,000 (future bonds/funding required), and, therefore, actual savings in closing these 18 armories is approximately $1 million per year. Additionally, these costs do not include the unfunded FTE maintenance personnel. The estimated shortfall in state funding for adequately sustaining the remaining 38 facilities is $1.25 million.

Haven’t we just spent money on armories we are closing?
Yes, in some cases this is true. In 2000 and 2005, we issued bonds to make up for decades of neglect in needed maintenance and updates to our facilities. We used the money to bring our facilities up to minimum usable standards. We must maintain these facilities to ensure the community and Guard have a suitable place to use and to drill. Therefore, over the last nine years critical repairs such as roof replacement and code compliance have been made to facilities we are now closing and returning to the communities. It is important to note that when we return these facilities to the community, we want them to be in a condition usable by the city for whatever use they choose.

Why is the National Guard building new facilities when we are closing armories?
The new facilities recently announced are funded through federal funds. This includes the new Heartland Readiness Center to be constructed in Wichita. This first of its kind facility is being built in partnership with Sedgwick County and the city of Wichita. In addition, the building we recently dedicated in Salina for the Unit Training Equipment Site is federally funded now that the armory portion of the building has been moved to Salina. The additions to the Kansas National Guard Museum expansion have been funded by the state legislature via sales of lottery tickets specific to veterans programs and the National Guard.

What will happen to the memorials located at some of the armories to be closed?
We will work with each community with a memorial located at its armory to ensure the monuments to our fallen are cared for. We will honor and support the decision of the cities regarding the placement of the memorials. Some communities may wish to keep the memorials at the facility, depending on what the facility will be used for in the future. Others may determine to move it to a park or courthouse lawn or other appropriate location. We have had hundreds of combat losses of Kansas Guardsmen in war throughout the history of the Guard, and the memorials honoring some of these soldiers are found throughout Kansas towns. We are pleased these communities want to honor their fallen heroes, and we will work closely with them on this important issue.