Colorado Senator Mark Udall says the U.S. Army has confirmed that Fort Carson will get a combat aviation brigade or CAB with 2,700 soldiers and more than 113 helicopters.
“The stationing will begin in fiscal year 2013 and be completed in fiscal year 2014,” Udall said on Monday.
The expansion would push the military population of the base outside of Colorado Springs to nearly 30,000. The Army said earlier this year that Fort Carson was one of its two preferred sites for two helicopter brigades. The other preferred site is joint base Lewis-McChord, Washington.
“Because modern combat depends heavily on Army aviation – our soldiers must be able to train in and around helicopters before they deploy in an environment that mirrors the conditions that they’ll face out in theater,” and Fort Carson is ideal for that says Udall.
One brigade will be new and the other will be a consolidation of aircraft and personnel now assigned to other units. The army would contract for about $240 million in construction to accommodate the brigade.
