Fort Belvoir will need to cut 40 percent of its private gate security and close at least two entrances into the base, a reduction that could be re-examined before thousands of new military workers arrive there.
The cuts are part of the first broad review of the use of contract gate guards since they were allowed after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, said Ned Christensen, a spokesman for the U.S. Army’s Installation Management Agency. He said private security was brought in when military police were called to fight oversees.
Fort Belvoir, which Christensen said has already appealed the decision, has not yet decided which access points it will shut down after its private security force is reduced from 131 to 78. The cuts come in advance of the arrival of 22,000 military jobs by 2011 under federal base closure and realignmentmandates.
“Doing this now is not implementing a permanent cut,” Christensen said. “It’s looking at what the requirement is and staffing accordingly.”
Across the country, he said, the Army will reduce its private gate security manpower by 30 percent, which is projected to save as much as $70 million. The decision by the Army’s Office of the Provost Marshall General was made after studies conducted at each installation found the military was spending too much on contract security.
Col. Brian Lauritzen, the base’s commander, has raised concerns about the loss of security staffing ahead of the upcoming base realignment, which will about double the size of Fort Belvoir, said a base spokesman.
“The increase of Belvoir’s population in light of this guard cutback does have us thinking ‘well, what about 2011?’ ” said Belvoir spokesman Donald Carr.
He said it’s unlikely any of the main gates will be shut down, including the Tulley gate off Route 1, which has become the primary route into Fort Belvoir. There are now eight access points into the base.
