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A PROACTIVE THREE-YEAR INITIATIVE TO PROTECT
AND STRENGTHEN ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE
A Vital Economic Engine for middle Georgia and a Critical National Defense Asset
ROBINS 2021
2019– 2021
We are pleased to announce the launch
of “Robins 2021,” an expanded, proactive
three-year initiative to protect and
strengthen Robins Air Force Base, and
we write to ask you to join this initiative
in the spirit of those generous and
enlightened middle Georgia business and
civic 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 is “job
number one.” Why? It simply is because
Robins’ missions are important to national
security; it is because they are being
executed here, not elsewhere. As Robins
goes, so goes middle Georgia.
The 21st Century Partnership
is a narrowly focused
development entity dedicated
solely to preserving and growing Robins
and its $2.87 billion annual economic
impact. The strength and vitality of the
Partnership is directly 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.
We hope you will join a broad coalition
of generous business, civic and political
leaders committed to funding the
Partnership’s Three-Year Initiative.
We personally look forward to working
with you to drive this campaign and
initiative to success.
Respectfully,
Robert F. Hatcher
Chairman, 21st Century Partnership
Foundation
Dan Slagle Chairman, 21st Century Partnership of Middle
Georgia
2 ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE
WORKFORCE AND COMMUNITY
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.
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.”
Albert Brown, 560th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron sheet metal mechanic, repairs a
C-130 paratroop door as part of a programmed depot maintenance at Robins.
21st CENTURY PARTNERSHIP 3
H I STO RY OF 21ST CE N T U RY PA RT N E R S H I P
1993, 1995 AND 2005 BRAC ROUNDS
Prior 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 installations hosting the other four 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 again!
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. With leadership from the Partnership,
not only did Robins survive, but it also gained
additional missions.
LOOKING BACK
4 ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE
POST-2005
Following 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 (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 three-star at the AFSC headquarters at Tinker AFB. Additional
changes have occurred with the standup of the Air Force Installation and Mission
Support Center (AFIMSC) in San Antonio. Again, this effort will shift oversight of
Robins’ installation management activity from Robins to San Antonio further diluting
Robins leadership impact. The Partnership is actively working to remedy these issues
through the standing up of the Air Force Sustainment Alliance.
21st CENTURY PARTNERSHIP 5
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.
WHAT WE DO AND HOW WE DO IT
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.
6 ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE
• Increased efforts to enhance
community and government
awareness of Robins, established
dialogue, and formed 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.
• Ensured continuity of the JSTARS
and transition to the Air Battle
Management System by working
with the Congressional Delegation
to ensure full funding for JSTARS and
advocacy for the follow-on mission.
• Stood Up the Air Force Sustainment
Alliance to partner with the States
of Utah and Oklahoma to better
advocate for the needs of the three
Air Force depots.
• 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.
• 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.
• Participated in an Air Force
Secretariat-level pilot program
(Public/Public and Public/ Private
Initiatives) designed to improve
Robins’ operating efficiency and
reduce costs.
• Fostered STEM activities in
developing the region’s workforce.
Working with the Museum of
Aviation, regional chambers of
commerce and the Aerospace
Industry Committees (AIC) on three
STEM summits to address the future
needs of the aerospace engineering
industry.
• Stood up the middle Georgia STEM
Alliance to facilitate collaboration of
industry, military and academia with
the mission of growing the supply of
STEM-skilled workers to meet the
demand required by robust economic
development.
• Prevented the relocation of the 5th
Combat Communications Group to
Tinker AFB.
RECENT WORK AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS
21st CENTURY PARTNERSHIP 7
GOAL 1:
ADVOCATE FOR ROBINS AND COMMUNITY
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.
THE THREE-YEAR INITIATIVE IS COMPRISED OF TWO GOALS:
8 ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE
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.
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.
A big concern is that Robins’ workload is coveted by a host of both public and private
sector players. Obviously with reduced acquisition budgets, the Original Equipment
Manufacturers (OEMs) like Boeing, Lockheed and Northrup Grumman would like a
bigger slice of the maintenance budget above the 50 percent ceiling mandated by
the 50-50 rule. The Partnership will work to ensure federal legislators are aware of
the importance of “50-50” legislation and are working to enforce it. The Partnership
advocates critical organic capability as there could be serious repercussions in a time
of war.
57,423total
regional jobs
21st CENTURY PARTNERSHIP 9
GOAL 2:
STRENGTHEN ROBINS AND COMMUNITY
The 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. We must promote regional Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM)
education through the middle Georgia STEM Alliance and work to “home grow”
our future workforce for Robins AFB in specialized disciplines (e.g. engineering,
computer science).
III. 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.
10 ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE
IV. 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 | Community Cost Reduction Initiatives
The 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. Accordingly, 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.
V. ImprovingBaseEfficiency/Effectivenessthrough
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.
VI. PromoteEconomicDiversificationinmiddleGeorgia.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.
VII. Continue to foster community partnerships in support of the base. E.g. Middle
Georgia State University, Mercer University, Fort Valley State University, Houston
County Board of Education, Bibb County Board of Education, Regional Chambers,
Middle Georgia Regional Commission, and many others.
28%regionally
earnedwages
21st CENTURY PARTNERSHIP 11
$2.87billionannualeconomicimpact
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 22,257 civilian,
military and contract employees, with an annual federal
payroll of $1.38 billion. Additionally, Robins serves about
26,000 military and civilian retirees, with an annual federal
payroll of $699 million.
The table below, prepared from an analysis by Georgia Tech, depicts a seven-year
snapshot of the economic impact from Robins. It illustrates the effects of declining DoD
budgets and sequestration.
Note: The change from 2012 to 2013 Total Economic Impact reflects a change in calculation.
CY YEAR MILITARY CIVILIAN OTHER TOTALTOTAL
PAYROLLRETIREES
RETIREE PAYROLL
CONTRACT DOLLARS
TOTALECONOMIC
IMPACT
2011 6,611 15,640 930 23,181 $1.7B 24,935 $620M $5.5B $4.27B
2012 6,939 15,972 813 23,724 $1.81B 25,143 $628M $5.34B $4.49B
2013 6,534 15,285 2,873 24,692 $1.41B 25,338 $692M $7.85B $2.87B
2014 6,482 14,632 2,393 23,507 $1.39B 23,682 $645M $5.1B $2.85B
2015 6,093 13,603 2,563 22,259 $1.3B 25,559 $699M $4.5B $2.7B
2016 5,563 13,313 2,586 21,462 $1.3B 25,327 $672M $6.7B $2.86B
2017 5,938 13,686 2,633 22,257 $1.4B 25,610 $685M $7.4B $2.87B
STEEL = HIGH RED = LOW
CURRENT ECONOMIC IMPACT Robins AFB total employment impact:
22,257 direct jobs
57,423 total jobs in the middle GA region
28.86% of middle GA region workforce employment
58.45% of Houston County workforce employment
$1.4 billion payroll (includes civilian, military and contractors)
$1.04 billion personal consumption expenditures (using .8000 natl. avg. rates)
1.46 jobs multiplier for Robins AFB – for every one job created at Robins,
an estimated 1.46 jobs are created within the Robins region.
ECONOMIC IMPACT
1 = 1.58 jobs
regionally
new job at Robins
12 ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE
*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).
Millions $0 $100 $200 $300 $400
Housing $341.12
Transportation $188.24
Food $136.24
Personal Insurance and Pensions $112.32
Health Care $71.76
Entertainment $54.08
Cash Contributions $36.40
Apparel $36.40
Education $15.60
Miscellaneous $14.56
Personal Care $13.52
Tobacco Products $9.36
Alcoholic Beverages $8.32
Reading $2.08
DISTRIBUTION OF CONSUMER EXPENDITURES(MAJOR CATEGORIES)
If a 300 person mission was moved from Robins/or gained to Robins:
$17,520,900 reduction in wages paid/addition in wages gained
$14,016,720 not being spent in the local economy/spent in the local economy
A portion of total earnings is used for personal consumption expenditures. That portion
is addressed below as an expenditure detail, again prepared from an analysis conducted
by Georgia Tech, in which the personal consumption expenditures disperse following
a consumption pattern consistent with the South region. The expenditure detail
determines the estimated annual impact to regional companies — with knowledge of
their regional market share. A few spending categories were adjusted to reflect middle
Georgia’s unique economic and social characteristics. Even with these adjustments,
the breakdown of the expenditure categories does not show a full picture of spending
patterns in the region.
21st CENTURY PARTNERSHIP 13
BUDGET AND FUTURE CHALLENGES
CATEGORY ANNUAL BUDGET Advocate for Robins and the Community $250,000
Advocate with Legislators and the DoD
“Go to” Information Source
Strengthen Robins and Community $250,000
Source New Missions
Improve Base Efficiency & Effectiveness
Annual Total $500,000
Three-YearTotal/CampaignGoal $1,500,000
PROJECTED GROWTH OF STAFF 1. Director Middle GA STEM Alliance / Grant Writer / RAFB workforce developer
dedicated to:a. Strengthening Robins and Community workforce through promotion of STEM
education while proactively gauging the demand signal for workforce needs on
the installation.
b. Assisting and partnering with area organizations for recruitment and to develop
opportunities inside and outside the fence.
c. Increasing community engagement and awareness.
14 ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE
“The Community must play offense and defense to ensure middle
Georgia is a vital component of the Department of Defense”
— Chrissy Miner
PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
RememberEDIMGIAFAD
804 PARK DRIVE | WARNER ROBINS, GA 31088 | 478.225.9005
www.21stcenturypartnership.com