Cargo planes from McChord Air Force Base ferry equipment and soldiers throughout the world. Fort Lewis, near Tacoma, holds two Army brigades and 20,000 soldiers. Intense competition All major Puget Sound bases are located within easy driving distance of one of the nation's hottest urban job markets. In a way, that adds to their attractiveness, said Capt. Kim Buike, commanding officer of Naval Station Everett.
Military spouses can find good jobs in the local market, helping defray the sting of pricey housing.
On the downside, though, the lure of high-paying local civilian jobs can be strong for a sailor who's facing the tough choice of transferring a family out of the area for another Navy assignment, or getting out of the service and staying here. In some branches, the pressure to compete can be intense. The Air Force is short 1,200 pilots this winter, largely because of competition from airlines, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Michael Ryan told the Armed Services Committee. McChord Air Force Base, near Tacoma, must also fend off Boeing and the region's high-tech companies to hang onto its trained talent. The Air Force is managing to hang onto only about 40 percent of the midcareer pilots who are reaching decision time this year on whether to re-enlist, Ryan told the committee, down from more than 80 percent only five years ago.