Posted on 06/15/2004 10:54:47 AM PDT by wagglebee
For its final public hearing on Thursday, the Sept. 11 Commission will focus on why U.S. air defenses were unprepared to stop an airborne attack on America, a topic that could raise questions about the decision by the Clinton administration to abolish the New Jersey Air National Guard wing that had been designated to protect New York City airspace.
When the Sept. 11 terrorists struck, the entire continent of North America was defended by just 20 fighter aircraft, arrayed in pairs in 10 locations, NORAD spokesman Lt. Col. Roberto Garza told the Associated Press on Tuesday.
Of the U.S.-based fighters, two were in Massachusetts, two in Virginia and two in Florida.
But before Clinton-era military cutbacks, the nation's air defense system also included an Air National Guard fighter wing that was stationed in Atlantic City, which had two F-16s ready to scramble 24 hours a day.
Eleven days after the attacks, former Jersey City Mayor Bret Schundler told the New York Times that the Atlantic City base was shut down in 1999, leaving New York City airspace defenseless.
"Up until a few years ago we had an F-16 fighter wing here in New Jersey that would be capable of intercepting one of those planes that crashed into the World Trade Center," Schundler said in a follow-up interview with WABC Radio.
"They decreased the number of wings that were available to do that. So the result was that the closest fighter wing that had the capability to intercept one of those planes was in Massachusetts."
Two F-16s had scrambled out of Otis Air Force Base on Cape Cod after American Airlines Flight 11 slammed into World Trade Center Tower 1, but didn't arrive in New York airspace until 15 minutes after United Airlines Flight 175 hit WTC Tower 2.
"They couldn't get here in time," Schundler complained. "And that's why the second plane flew into the World Trade Center."
He pinned the blame for eliminating the air defenses that could have saved Tower 2 squarely on the Clinton administration, telling WABC, "The federal government in the last eight years cut down the resources. ... That's just a statement of fact."
The 9/11 Commission has not called Schundler to testify and it is not clear whether its probe will focus specifically on the Clinton administration's decision to abolish New York City's air defenses.
Eleven days after the attacks, former Jersey City Mayor Bret Schundler told the New York Times that the Atlantic City base was shut down in 1999, leaving New York City airspace defenseless.
Will somebody please tell me why Clinton is going to get a pass on this. Leaving NYC airspace defenseless is at best "dereliction of duty", but in my opinion it is treason.
Clinton and the democrats cut the US military nearly in half - what did you expect?
I was wondering when they were going to address this issue. There may be hope for this commission yet.
NORAD has been useless against the air-breather threat since the 1970s.
This is nothing new although it may just be reported and now they can blame the Air Force. That last round of base closings orchestrated by Clinton that took out Kelly AFB and McClellan AFB plus a host of other bases cut very deep in to the AF infrastructure. Clinton had big plans to pay back contractors by giving them the jobs and privatizing everything. What that pro-contractor BRAC forgot to take into consideration was the Air Force was scattered around the Country for a reason.
We used to have ADC (Air Defense Command) headquartered in CO with access to Cheyenne Mountain and people there before Clinton got done reorganizing the AF which put Strategic Air Command under Langley. What happened to the Air Force under Clinton was an absolutely tragedy and why the blame for 9-11 should fall squarely on his and his Administration shoulders for getting rid of a lot of AF infrastructure around the Country and consolidating.
Here at Tinker AFB, they are having to build a huge airplane mall and take planes across a bridge because they do not have room for all the aircraft they repair. All because they chose to close Kelly and McClellan AFBs. Kelly should have stayed open with all their land and closed Hill AFB with all the small buildings IMHO or just closing McClellan in the 90's would have been even a better idea!
I could go on and on but I won't -- anyone in the Air Force now or before that votes for any DemocRAT needs to have their head examined!
I'm sure they will conclude that 7 1/2 months was ample time for Bush to have solved the problem and blame him. I wish somebody would show up at one of Billy's booksigning orgies with a bullhorn and ask him why fighter jets couldn't make it to NYC in time.
Schundler '08!
"I was wondering when they were going to address this issue. There may be hope for this commission yet."
No, there is no hope. This will not be covered by any media outlet.
Our air defenses are surprisingly light.
I can't even believe this questions needs to be asked. The incompetence of this committee is astounding. Or, is this just for show? But, still .....
Clinton legacy
Clinton and the democrats...and a GOP House and Senate. Don't forget them.
Indeed. Thanks for the ping!
Clinton should get a pass on this. The AF's mission was to protect against Soviet era threats - not to shoot down hijacked airliners.
The 9/11 commission will use this as another opportunity to demonstrate their flawless 20/20 hindsight.
What if the hijackers had chosen Atlanta or Chicago or LA as a target? Should their have been a fighter cap on every city?
Sorry, but a general animus toward Clinton can't make the case that base closings (an excellent, worthwhile process)and defense cutbacks are somehow at fault here.
This is true since the closing of the Nike Hercules anti-aircraft missile sites in the mid '70's. The "Herc" would be more than adequate today with modern electronics. The missile, itself, was ahead of its time.
I'm sure they will conclude that 7 1/2 months was ample time for Bush to have solved the problem and blame him.
Well, 7 ½ months was ample time, if anybody had concluded that this was a problem.
But nobody did, until after the planes hit the building.
This isn’t an issue that is going to be successfully used to bash anybody along partisan lines.
The blood of American innocents murdered on 911 drips from the filthy hands of Bill Clinton and the Democrat "traitor" Party! The truth will opt, as it always does!
The blood of American innocents murdered on 911 drips from the filthy hands of Bill Clinton and the Democrat "traitor" Party! The truth will opt, as it always does!
Well .. don't get too profuse with your praise .. I remember seeing this commission pummel some lady (don't remember her position) and Gorelick was almost screaming at her because she hadn't dispatched some planes soon enough.
This report seems to say the woman being pummeled was not at fault .. it was just another Gorelick grandstanding play to try to lay blame somewhere other than the Clinton admin. Remember, a lot of people will only watch the TV coverage and never read or hear about the details of the report.
I remember trying to land in the pattern with these guys, enroute from boston to florida; atlantic city was a good fuel stop (and a chance for a leak) if we had bad headwinds.
Interesting to be in the pattern with a ship that comes over the threshold at nearly your cruise speed. But they were pros and mutual courtesy got everybody in and out safely.
I'm sorry that the unit went away. It also means that key pilots and maintainers were probably lost to the Air Guard.
Clinton and his first bad SecDef, Les "let 'em bleed" Aspin also cut two Special Forces Groups (11th and 12th, USAR), exactly the formations we need in the war on terrorism. They would have cut two more (1st and 3rd, active army) but the Army gave up other elements instead. Clinton and his defence bureaucrats hated special operations forces; they thought that they were extremist reactionaries, who were likely to start a war for the sheer joy of it. This attitude was openly expressed by several Clinton appointees.
They had a pretty dim view of fighter pilots, too. Ironic when you consider that Clinton worked our fighters' asses off on his No Fly Zones and his Balkan adventures.
d.o.l.
Criminal Number 18F
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