Posted on 08/26/2005 9:22:29 AM PDT by Uncle Joe Cannon
WASHINGTON - The base closing commission voted Friday to keep open Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota — rejecting the Pentagon's plan to close it — as the panel labored toward conclusion of a politically delicate task that has brought alternating sighs of relief and exasperation in communities across America.
The surprise decision was a setback for Pentagon leaders, a blessing for South Dakotans who feared losing some 4,000 jobs, and a victory for Sen. John Thune and the state's other politicians who lobbied vigorously to save the base. Thune, a freshman Republican, unseated then-Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle partly on the strength of his claim that he would be better positioned to help save the base.
"Oh my, God. It's a fantastic day," said Pennington County Commission member Mark Kirkeby, who had tears in his eyes as he watched the vote on television in Rapid City, S.D.
After struggling with the fate of another site slated to close — Cannon Air Force Base, the economic lifeblood of tiny Clovis, N.M. — the commissioners considered a compromise that would keep it open with greatly reduced operations. They put the decision off until later in the day.
As they made decisions this week on the first round of base closings in a decade, commissioners endorsed much of Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld's plan to streamline the nation's military bases. But besides Ellsworth, they also bucked the Pentagon by voting to keep open two major Navy bases in New England and two Army depots in Texas and Nevada.
The contentious issue of restructuring the Air National Guard, which has prompted lawsuits by some states, remained to be heard later Friday.
The panel found that closing Cannon, home to four F-16 fighter squadrons, would put a 20 percent dent in the local economy, costing the community almost 3,000 jobs on the base and as many as 2,000 more related jobs in the community near the New Mexico-Texas line.
Several commissioners said those stark numbers had convinced them to vote to keep the base open. But others advocated closure. Chairman Anthony Principi called closing the base "very painful but also necessary" as the Air Force seeks to restructure itself to face future threats.
Gov. Bill Richardson, D-N.M., welcomed the chance at a compromise, saying keeping the base opened in a diminished capacity would be a "partial victory."
For its part, Ellsworth got a full victory. Most famous for its Cold War-era arsenal of missiles and nuclear bombers aimed toward the Soviet Union, the base is home to half the nation's fleet of B1-B bombers and means some 4,000 jobs for the South Dakota plains. The Pentagon had wanted to move all the bombers to their other location, Dyess Air Force Base in Texas.
But the commission found that closing Ellsworth wouldn't save any money over 20 years, and that it actually would cost nearly $20 million to move the planes to the Texas base. The Pentagon had projected saving $1.8 billion over two decades with the closure.
The base closing panel worried that putting all the B1-B bombers at one base would hurt force readiness. Commissioners noted that Ellsworth, located on the South Dakota prairie, had plenty of "unfettered airspace."
"We have no savings, we're essentially moving the airplanes from one very, very good base to another very, very good base, which are essentially equal," commissioner Harold Gehman said about the proposal.
The decision was a victory for South Dakota politicians who lobbied vigorously to save the base, and perhaps a political lifesaver for Sen. John Thune. A freshman Republican, Thune unseated then-Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle partly on the strength of his claim that he would be better positioned to help save his state's base.
As the commission voted, Thune smiled and accepted handshakes of congratulations from other lawmakers. Thune said the Ellsworth decision was not political.
"Obviously our arguments got through. The current and future value of Ellsworth Air Force base got through," he said moments after the vote.
The Ellsworth proposal had caused the most political consternation since Pentagon proposed in May closing or consolidating a record 62 major military bases and 775 smaller installations to save $48.8 billion over 20 years, make the services more efficient and reposition the armed forces.
The panel has until Sept. 8 to send its final report to President Bush. The president can accept it, reject it or send it back for revisions. Congress also will have a chance to veto the plan in its entirety but it has not taken that step in four previous rounds of base closings. If ultimately approved, the changes would occur over the next six years.
While casting doubt on the estimated savings, the commission has largely endorsed Rumsfeld's effort to streamline support services across the Army, Navy and Air Force by merging similar programs scattered around small military facilities.
But the panel, which promised not to be a rubber stamp, rejected some of the Pentagon's most controversial decisions on some of its largest bases.
Within minutes of opening its Friday session, the nine-member panel signed off on proposals to shift forces around Lackland Air Force Base in Texas and Langley Air Force Base in Virginia.
Air Force officials say their proposal as a whole is designed to make the service more effective by consolidating both weapons systems and personnel as the force moves to a smaller but smarter aircraft fleet.
The Air National Guard plan would shift people, equipment and aircraft around at 54 or more sites where Guard units are stationed. Major Air Guard and Reserve facilities in Alaska, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin would close. In some states, aircraft would be taken away from 25 Air Guard units. Those units would get other assignments such as expeditionary combat support roles. They also would retain their missions of aiding governors during statewide emergencies.
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This is great news. While it is great to streamline and save money, concentrating our entire air defense shield at a single base in Texas is an invitation to another Pearl Harbor attack.
Texas is in the center of the country, not out way west like Hawaii.
I do not think that will be such a huge danger.
Very happy for Sen Thune--he may well now be able help to get rid of the other leftist Demorat Senator from SD..
North Dakota is the geographical center of North America, so keeping a base open in South Dakota makes sense. Any missile attack is likely to come over the Arctic Circle as it is the shortest distance.
Agreed
It doesn't look good for Cannon, then.
Keeping it open with no mission is hardly better than
closing it. Once closed it could be redeveloped.
As a enclave its simply in limbo.
I was thinking that too. It will now be apparent to everone in SD that Dashole was never needed.
Check out Front Page News in the sidebar:
Commission Votes to Save Ellsworth Base
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1471162/posts
I could not agree more. Concentrating so much of our military forces in Texas (which will benefit their state economy tremendously) and much of our other defense operations in bordering states (lots of procurement and other activities in Huntsville, AL) does not seem like a smart move at all to me.
I feel a little safer if the B whatevers will remain in SD.
John Thune should be inundated with praise by all GOP supporters and urge him to take on military, national security issues. This could solidify GOP gains not only in the upper MW but could actually help the GOP to oust Dorgan. This may allow him to speak out against leftist casuses that he did when running against the Dash. He is bright, articulate but has been operating on this issue to the detriment of others that he could help solve.
this saved Thune's seat - I hope he gets out there on the SD TV stations and trumpets this.
Years ago, Congressman Fred Schwengel (think he was Repub) saved my father's Corps of Engineers operation from being consolidated and our family having to relocate. He never wanted to leave this area because he managed his farm nearby. It's still going, but my father has long since passed on.
This is the midwest. Kudos to John Thune. He will sure have my backing, but I'm not a SD resident.
Our local political situation in a metro two-state area has been overtaken by the Democratic political machine. My state went red this election but not because of my county which is overwhelmingly blue. The other state is blue from north to south, east to west, and not likely to change.
Is that why Galveston gets hit by so many hurricanes?
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