Four members of the Governor’s Military Council visited Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow to get an up close and personal overview of the installation and its operations, June 5.
The council established by Gov. Edmund “Gerry” Brown works to protect California's military installations and operations amid ongoing Department of Defense budget cuts, and leverage changes in federal military strategy to position the state to continue innovation and
leadership in its military mission.
Upon arrival the group, which included Maj. Gen Dennis Kenneally, USA, retired, Rear Adm. Jim Johnson, USN Retired, Tom Garcia, legislative staff, and Kyle Smith, policy advisor, were introduced to the base staff and received a command brief.
During the brief General Kenneally said, “we’re not here to do anything but listen; we are here to find out what your issues are, both positive and
negative, and take that information back to the governor and the council members.”
With that being said, areas of discussion included an “infrastructure overview, areas of state and local cooperation, community partnerships, rail operations support, transportation planning, and advocacy for the
installation and DoD writ large,” according to a statement by Major Christian Carlson, base operations officer.
After a tour and brief overview from Production Plant Barstow, Marine Depot Maintenance Command, and Fleet Support Division, the group end its MCLB tour with a community meeting, off base, with about a dozen
local leaders at Silver Lake High School.
Upon compiling the information and knowledge gain from this visit, the Council present it during the Governor’s Military Council meeting in Sacramento in August.
Note: Information for this article provided by Maj. C. Carlson, MCLB Barstow operations officer, and the Military Council web site: http://militarycouncil.ca.gov/.