MADISON, Wisc. - Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch and senior military officials cut the ribbon Saturday for a new $24 million building on Madison's east side, replacing old armories, saving money, and allowing for joint training with Wisconsin National Guard, Army, Navy, and Marine Corps Reserves.
The Armed Forces Reserve Center - the first in Wisconsin - is home to 16 units with approximately 800 Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines from the reserve components of the armed forces.
"The best part of this facility is that all the military units are together, it is truly a joint organization and you learn from each other," said Navy Capt. Gary Haben, commander of the Navy Reserve Component Command-Midwest. "When we are forward, we are together, so it's great to train together too."
The AFRC not only allows for communication between branches of service, but also for unique training opportunities.
"We have the electronic warfare simulation system, there is a medical unit over here and they have all the unique equipment that medical units have, and the other units can see the equipment we have in ordinance and logistics," said Army Col. Ronald Jones, commander of the Army Reserve's 646th Regional Support Group. "Whereas, before we were all in different locations and didn't have that stuff, over here we can see the whole spectrum."
The engagement skills trainer - a virtual firing range - is one example of a training opportunity that the Marine Corps Reserve can share with other units in the building. Also, the 646th can share their medical training with other units in the building. The ability to train with other units and branches of service is important as service members continue to deploy.
"This Armed Forces Reserve Center also recognizes the truth that you have proven around the globe - that you are professional and capable to serve alongside your active duty counterparts," Kleefisch said. "But to maintain that capability and that readiness requires a facility to really meet those needs, and I think you can agree that this beautiful building and the ones around it afford the opportunity to train and unite in a 21st-century capability."
Maj. Gen. Donald Dunbar, adjutant general of Wisconsin, also praised the service members.
"Everybody in this room in uniform is a Citizen-Soldier, Citizen-Marine, or Citizen-Sailor, but first and foremost they are citizens of the state of Wisconsin," Dunbar said. "On the weekends and in the summers and when the nation calls on them - as they have called many times since Sept. 11, 2001 - they suit up and they go overseas to defend this country and they comeback, put the uniform back in the closet, and go back to their careers.
"There is something uniquely American and special about that relationship," Dunbar continued. "I tell you ladies and gentlemen, as long as we have facilities like this and men and women like this in uniform, we are never going to lose touch with what America is all about."
The new facility also allows an economic advantage as well as training opportunities. The AFRC meets or exceeds LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver criteria, meaning the building meets up to 60 percent of potential efficiencies in sustainability, energy and water conservation, materials and resources, and indoor environmental quality.
"We spend a lot of money on utilities in older buildings," Haben said. "These newer ones are more efficient and cheaper to operate, so everybody wins there - the taxpayer especially."
It is estimated that the facility saved $12.7 million in renovation costs.
"It is a great idea to combine all the services in one building," said Navy Lt. Cmdr. Roger Walker, commander of the Navy Operational Support Center, one of the tenant units in the AFRC. "It saves money, lets us get to know one another, and I'm sure it is going to spread and before you know it, it will be only joint centers everywhere else."