Army gets new home in Summerville

The Army just got a new home in Summerville: A $2.5 million, 61,000-square-foot warehouse and office space that can accommodate about 300 soldiers and is part of the military's organizational shift in a post-9/11 world. The move will nearly triple the number of soldiers in Summerville on a given day.

From the Charleston Regional Business Journal:

The facility will house the 1223rd Vertical Engineer Company and a forward support company of the 1st Battalion of the 118th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, said Col. Brad Owens, construction and facilities management officer for the S.C. Army National Guard.

“This is all part of the Army transformation, which has to do with not only transforming from a divisional base to a brigade base outfit but also the growth of the Army, which also impacts the South Carolina Army National Guard,” said Owens, who called the economic impact of the new facility “tremendous.”

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The goal of transformation is to provide an efficient, maneuverable and modern military force that can be deployed more effectively in a variety of circumstances. The effort has been touted by military leaders and politicians for several years and includes transitioning from divisions to modular brigade units.

And, just to be clear, this facility won't replace the National Guard Armory just yet, the Business Journal reports. That building will remain as a contingency site, and it will be turned over to the town in 2014 when the National Guard gets its new place.

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