With a backdrop of economic distress that has spread double-digit unemployment to everywhere in Washington except Central Puget Sound, a group of elected officials and business leaders visited the Kitsap Peninsula recently as part of a Prosperity Partnership two-part tour of military installations in this region.
What they learned at the Navy, Army and Air Force installations is a worthy refresher for us all: In addition to providing for our national security, the economic impact of the military cluster on Puget Sound is enormous.
Moreover, it has been relatively resilient to the global economic downturn. More than 92,000 military and civilian personnel are employed at Fort Lewis, McChord AFB, Naval Base Everett, Naval Base Kitsap and Camp Murray. Combined payroll at these facilities reached $3 billion last year.
Members of the Prosperity Partnership tour were also informed that Washington has the seventh highest number of military retirees in the nation. Fully 42 percnt of the retirement population here is retired military.
The economic contribution is a major reason that King, Kitsap, Pierce and Snohomish counties are experiencing unemployment rates among the lowest in the Pacific Northwest.
Closer to home, Naval Base Kitsap and its contractors employ more than 33,000 military and civilian personnel, with payroll exceeding $1.2 billion. Add to that more than $500 million in Department of Defense contracting in the county each year, and it readily explains why Kitsap County’s unemployment rate is third lowest in the state.
Along with more than 10,500 active-duty military personnel at Naval Base Kitsap, there are more than 12,000 dependents. Two-thirds of these families live off base. Many are spouses in the labor force, or they attend school.
Kitsap County also has the highest percentage of veterans in the adult population than any other county in Washington — 24 percent.
The nationwide economic recession certainly has been felt on the Kitsap Peninsula. Yet it is obvious by the robust activity in defense that the pain has not run as wide and deep as it otherwise would.
The experience renews a call to action for the broader Kitsap community. We cannot replace the many benefits the military cluster brings to our collective livelihood and quality of life. So doesn’t it make sense that we redouble our work to support and enhance the defense presence?
There are many issues ahead — ferry service and funding, federal contracting, spousal employment, base encroachment, amenities for personnel and families, education and licensing reciprocity with other states, base reduction assessments, federal budget priorities —.the list continues and it is long.
And the time to influence the future is now.
