Military Affairs Final Legislation
In response to the evolving and expanding missions of Ellsworth AFB and the South Dakota National Guard, community leaders recognized the need to evolve in order to best support the area's military population and to capitalize on the anticipated defense industry growth in the region. It became apparent early on that while there were many amazing organizations focused on military support, the critical missing piece was a way for those organizations to work together in a collaborative way to streamline information and wisely use resources. As a result, the Black Hills Military Advisory Coalition (BH MAC) was formed in 2021 by consolidating the efforts of several key community military support organizations.
After a series of strategy meetings and discussions with local military leadership, a vision of a structured community coalition quickly started to take shape. By bringing together key leadership from both the civilian and military community, a path forward was forged for streamlined information flow, increased impact of effort, and one voice for military support.
Conversations identified three areas of community emphasis: military quality of life, a structured focus on the defense economy, and the need to engage the broader community in military support by driving an understanding of the local military missions. As a result, the Coalition was divided into three pillars: Quality of Life, Community Outreach, and Defense Economy. Within each pillar, some of the legacy events and functions of the consolidated partner groups remain intact, along with added opportunities for focused work on specific initiatives regarding military needs.
The Coalition is led by a steering committee comprised of a Chair, Vice-Chair, Pillar Chairs, At-Large members, EAFB Rep, SDNG Rep, City of Rapid City, City of Box Elder, South Dakota Ellsworth Development Authority, and Elevate Rapid City.
