Washington State Ready To Help Downsized Military Families – Dave’s Diary

Washington Governor Jay Inslee says our state is ready to help as the military begins its latest round of downsizing.  In a press release Thursday Inslee said, I “Given the potential scale of reductions that could have taken place, we’re in an especially good position to manage these reductions. The news is as good as we could have hoped for, and I thank all the congressional and local leaders who helped make the case for Washington state and helped us be as prepared as possible. I am committed to ensuring that every service member or family member impacted by today's decision is provided the resources they need to transition seamlessly. We know there may be more in the future and our work isn’t done.”

The Department of Defense (DoD) said it plans to reduce the size of the Army across the nation by 40,000 troops over the next two years including 1,250 active duty personnel at Joint Base Lewis McCord.  Military brass had suggested reductions at JBLM as high as 11,000.  

Washington ranks in the top ten states for military spending and is the 6^th most military populated state. Of the 112,560 military personnel in Washington, over half reside in the South Puget Sound.