Posted on 05/13/2005 3:00:33 PM PDT by Jet Jaguar
ANCHORAGE—Most aircraft at Eielson Air Force Base would be moved elsewhere under a base closure and realignment plan released Friday by the Pentagon. Kulis Air National Guard Station in Anchorage also was targeted for closure.
No major facility in Alaska was on the Department of Defense base closure list, but the state would lose 4,818 military or civilian jobs.
Before closures or downsizings can take effect, the Defense Department’s proposal must be approved or changed by a federal base closing commission by Sept. 8, and then agreed to by Congress and President Bush. That process will run into the fall.
In four previous rounds of closures starting in 1988, commissions have accepted 85 percent of bases the Pentagon recommended for closure or consolidation.
U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, said he would oppose the changes at Eielson.
“In the long run the only real disappointment is Eielson. I intend to protest to the Base Closure and Realignment Commission. Alaska has half the coastline in the United States and we have the perimeter that faces Asia and there will be fewer aircraft in Korea.
He said first line of duty for the units at Eielson were to reinforce units in Korea.
“Now that we have reduced forces in Korea, it doesn’t make sense to me and I intend to go to the commission and present that case,” Stevens said. “I think it is wrong to leave our area without fighter protection and it is wrong from a national security point of view because the access to our nation from that part of the world is across Alaska, so it is just not a good decision.”
Eielson, 30 miles south of Fairbanks on the Richardson Highway, is home to the 354th Fighter Wing. Pilots from the 18th Fighter Squadron fly F-16 Fighting Falcons, while those in the 355th Fighter Squadron fly the A/OA-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft, a tank-killing, slow-flying jets often referred to as warthogs.
The fighters would be moved off Eielson under realignment, leaving the base with just one flying wing, the 168th air refueling wing, a National Guard unit, said Maj. Gen. Craig E. Campbell, adjutant general of the Alaska National Guard. The Air National Guard flies KC-135s.
The governor’s office has concerns about the economic effect on the Fairbanks North Star Borough, Campbell said. The Pentagon lists Eielson’s loss at 2,821 military and 319 civilian jobs. That’s 3.7 percent of the 85,000 population of the Fairbanks North Star Borough, without counting dependents.
Kulis is just south of Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. Bordering on Raspberry Road, many Anchorage residents know it by the retired military aircraft prominently displayed along the route to Kincaid Park. The base is named for Lt. Albert Kulis, a pilot killed in an F-80 in November 1954.
The Alaska Air National Guard has been at Kulis since spring 1955 when it moved out of Elmendorf Air Force Base. Campbell said the closure would send the Air Guard back to Elmendorf.
Its mission is airlift — moving people and pallets of equipment — and both military and civilian search and rescue, Campbell said.
Closure of Kulis would mean the loss of 218 military and 241 civilian jobs, according to the Pentagon. Campbell said he did not know how those numbers were tabulated but speculated they would come from savings in overhead by not having to operate a separate facility.
Operating at Kulis for 50 years has allowed the Air Guard to grow, Campbell said.
“Today we’re one of the strongest combat search and rescue squadrons in the Air Force,” he said.
Moving back to Elmendorf will not change what the squadron does, he said. The plan calls for the squadron to add four C-130 cargo aircraft to the 12 cargo aircraft and four tankers it has now. If that happens, it will mean more opportunities for guardsmen and more C-130s to help in state emergencies, such as the power outages at Kaktovik last winter, Campbell said.
“I think the downside of that will be offset by having a larger wing with more capability,” he said of the Kulis closure.
Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage would lose 1,499 military and 65 civilian jobs, offset by direct gains of 397 military and 233 civilian positions, for a net loss of 1,102 military jobs and a net gain of 168 civilians.
Fort Richardson in Anchorage is targeted for the loss of 86 military and 199 civilian jobs.
The Alaska total direct loss would be 4,624 military and 824 civilian jobs. Alaska facilities would gain 397 military and 233 civilian jobs, for a net job loss of 4,818, including 4,227 military jobs and 591 civilian jobs.
Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich said retaining the National Guard’s search and rescue capabilities was crucial for Southcentral Alaska.
From his reading of the realignments, an initial loss of jobs will be offset over time with a net gain in jobs, he said.
“It’s less painful that we had anticipated, or what we had been hearing rumors of,” he said.
The Pentagon’s decision not to close more Anchorage facilities indicates it recognized its strategic location, he said.
A return of property at Kulis could benefit Anchorage’s international airport by making more land available for cargo operations, he said.
In proportion to the size of Alaska's population and Economy, this is one of the biggest hit of any state in the Union.
While Stevens is making the usual and expected noises, he's not on much better ground than congresscritters from any other State, with the exception of One "Little" Fact: Alaska is going to be on the Front Lines of the next conflict (with N.Korea), and those Airbases will be primary assets (as well as prime targets). In fact Alaska is the only state in an vulnerable position in the entire country unless Castro gets missiles again.
This sort of reminds me of the Time Magazine article recommending disbanding the Marine corp just before Gulf One.
I'm not really for any base closures right now. It seems we have forgotten we are in a WAR.
Well I pay lots of taxes and most of these bases are not needed, so I'm not too opposed.
Nobody seems to be raising any objections bases on strategic need, all the objections I hear so far (including some of mine) are based on economic arguments rather than strategic ones.
Maybe it's because I am very pro-military. I appreciate very much what the armed forces do for our country. Please note that this is my opinion and not directed at anyone.
Nobody seems to be raising any objections bases on strategic need, all the objections I hear so far (including some of mine) are based on economic arguments rather than strategic ones.
You make a decent point here. I think those arguments need to be considered too.
Additional info:
Loss of 2,800 personnel, perhaps 2,000 civilian jobs
By SAM BISHOP
News-Miner Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON—The Department of Defense recommended Friday that the Air Force move 2,800 personnel and all its A-10 and F-16 fighter aircraft out of Eielson Air Force Base during the next five years.
The change would likely eliminate another 320 direct civilian positions and 1,770 indirect positions, for a total loss of 4,700 jobs in the Fairbanks area.
That would represent about 8.6 percent of the region’s 54,500 jobs, the department estimated.
Eielson would be left with an Alaska Air National Guard wing, which currently employs about 580 personnel supporting eight KC-135R refueling aircraft. About half the guard personnel are full-time.
The base would also continue to support various military exercises such as Cope Thunder.
The department’s recommendation is part of a nationwide base closing and realignment process launched by Congress in 2002. The department’s suggestions now go to a nine-member commission. In September, the commission will forward a final plan to President Bush, who will have two weeks to accept or reject it. If he accepts the plan, Congress will have 45 days to reject it. Otherwise, it goes into effect.
The Defense Department also recommended removing several dozen fighter aircraft from Elmendorf Air Force Base near Anchorage, an action that would eliminate about 1,500 military positions.
Finally, the department suggested moving Kulis Air National Guard operations to Elmendorf and consolidating some Elmendorf operations with the nearby Fort Richardson.
Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, said Friday in Washington, D.C., that he was surprised by some of the proposed cuts.
However, Alaska’s overall military population would recover from the reductions even if they are approved, he said.
The proposals announced Friday only reflect changes developed for the base closing and realignment process, Stevens said. The military already plans to move personnel to Alaska from overseas and to bring new transport and fighter planes to Alaska, he said.
In fact, some of the proposals announced Friday are to make room for that “augmentation,” Stevens said. For example, Elmendorf should receive a few dozen new F-22 fighters starting in 2007 and eight new C-17 transport planes starting in 2008. An airborne brigade is coming to Fort Richardson, he said. At Fort Wainwright, adjacent to Fairbanks, three new aviation companies with about 150 personnel from Korea are to arrive by mid-June.
“In the long run, the only real disappointment is Eielson,” Stevens said.
Stevens said he doesn’t know of any plans that would offset the proposed personnel and equipment losses at the base, located about 30 miles southeast of Fairbanks.
Stevens said he would tell the commission that removing the fighters from Eielson and Elmendorf is unwise.
“It was worse than I anticipated in terms of fighters,” he said of the Defense Department’s recommendation.
The A-10s are stationed in Alaska to provide backup on the Korean Peninsula if war occurs there, he said. In addition, removal of nearly all fighters from Alaska “would leave our area without protection,” he said.
The Defense Department said Eielson has a high military value because it is near “valuable air space and ranges.”
“Eielson is, however, an expensive base to operate and improve,” according to justifications released with the recommendations.
“The Air Force recommends realigning Eielson, but keeping the base open in a `warm’ status using the resident Air National Guard units and a portion of the infrastructure to continue operating the base for USAF/joint/combined exercises,” the document states.
The 354th Fighter Wing has 18 F-16s at Eielson. They would be sent to Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. The wing’s A-10 jets would be split up, with 12 going to Moody Air Force Base in Georgia, three to Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana and three to “backup inventory” at an unspecified location.
The military expects to save about $2.78 billion over 20 years by moving the aircraft and personnel out of Eielson and making related changes at Moody and Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina. The one-time cost of the changes would be $141 million, the report said.
Representatives from Eielson were not immediately available to comment on the plan.
Maj. Mike Haller, spokesman for the Alaska Air National Guard in Anchorage, said the state administration opposes the proposed reductions at Eielson.
“Such losses would be staggering for the Interior,” he said.
Eielson is important from a military standpoint, he said. The Korean Peninsula remains a volatile place, he said. “So the need to have bases that are capable and ready in Alaska is significant,” he said.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said in a news release that the Eielson changes would be “a huge blow.” It would affect not just tax revenues and local businesses but also schools, churches and community services, she said.
“There is still a long way to go in the BRAC process,” she said. “The Base Realignment and Closure Commission must still conduct hearings and visit each facility...I am confident that the commission will recognize the strategic importance of Alaskaís bases to our national security.î
Stevens said commissions in the past four rounds of base closings generally have trimmed the closures recommended by the Defense Department, even while trying to maintain the dollar savings.
The situation is different this time because the military is undergoing a worldwide realignment at the same time as the domestic realignment, he said.
The only proposed change at Fort Wainwright, which has about 4,750 military personnel, would move the headquarters of the Cold Regions Test Center back to Fort Greely. The move would affect about five positions, said Lt. Col. George Bond, the center’s commander.
The test center headquarters moved to Wainwright after the last round of base closings, in 1995, when the commission decided to all but close Greely. Since then, the base has been resurrected as a national missile defense interceptor site.
Fort Richardson, with 3,300 soldiers, was on an initial BRAC closure list produced by the commission in 1991. However, the commission voted in June of that year not to put it on the final list.
Richardson appeared on an alleged Defense Department closure list that circulated on the Internet during the past year.
“That was a bogus list,” said Chuck Canterbury, Army spokesman at Fort Richardson.
Washington, D.C., reporter Sam Bishop can be reached at (202) 662-8721 or sbishop@newsminer.com.
When you look at the cost of running Eielson...its a ton of money. Between the heat bills and the operational cost...it'd make alot more sense to keep a base open down in Arizona, and base the unit there. As for commerical use of Eielson....I have a alot of doubts that it can be done. No industry is going to move there. Other than tourism...I can't see anyone setting up shop there. Although alot of military retirees might be interested in buying houses in the base housing area.
Eielson reduction would hit Fairbanks economy
By DAN JOLING, The Associated Press
ANCHORAGE—A loss of most personnel at Eielson Air Force Base would have a major effect on the economy of the Fairbanks North Star Borough, an economist for the state Department of Labor said.
A Pentagon closure and realignment list released Friday indicated that Eielson would lose its fighter squadrons, including airmen who fly F-16s Fighting Falcons and A/OA-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft.
The loss of the fighter squadrons would leave Eielson with just one flying wing, the 168th air refueling wing, a National Guard unit. The Air National Guard flies KC-135s.
Downsizings must be approved or modified by a federal base closing commission by Sept. 8, and then agreed to by Congress and President Bush, a process that could take six months.
The Pentagon lists Eielson’s loss under the realignment plan at 2,821 military and 319 civilian jobs.
A Fairbanks Community Research publication listed Eielson’s military work force at 2,890 for the fourth quarter of 2004, said Brigitta Windisch-Cole, a state Department of Labor economist.
The loss of all jobs listed in the realignment would not leave the base with much, she said.
“That’s almost a near closure of that base,” Windisch-Cole said. “That would have a significant impact.”
The report listed an Eielson Air Force population, with dependents, of 6,484. That’s about 7.6 percent of the borough population.
“That would definitely have an impact on the Fairbanks economy,” Windisch-Cole said.
What might soften the impact is the Army’s plan to locate a Stryker brigade at nearby Fort Wainwright, she said. Some of the Stryker brigade has been located temporarily at Fort Richardson in Anchorage.
Once deployments are completed next year, the Army population at Fort Wainwright is expected to increase by about 1,500 soldiers.
Those soldiers, however, tend to be younger than the Air Force population, with fewer dependents, Windisch-Cole said.
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said the Eielson changes would effect more than the economy.
“The estimated loss of approximately 4,700 jobs, direct and indirect, in the Fairbanks area alone would be a huge blow to that community’s economic and social well-being not just from tax revenue or a local business standpoint, but also the number of families that would be leaving, impacting schools, churches, and community services,” she said.
She said she was confident that the Base Realignment and Closure Commission will recognize the strategic importance of Alaska’s bases to national security.
U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, said he would protest the Eielson changes, given that the military has reduced forces in Korea and Eielson’s first line of duty was to reinforce those units.
Fairbanks North Star Borough Mayor Jim Whitaker said the borough will deal with the potential loss of jobs in a methodical manner.
“It’s clear that it’s the first step in a process and it’s a multiyear process,” said Whitaker. “There is probably some room for alteration. That alteration will be in the hands of a very powerful congressional delegation.”
He said attempts will be made to mitigate the effects at the local, state and national levels. The potential economic damage puts emphasis on the need to push for a natural gas line from the North Slope of Alaska and other local development efforts.
“We’ll deal with this,” he said.
Stevens said the closure and realignment list did not reflect ongoing force realignments that will positively effect Alaska.
Among them: eight C-17s beginning to arrive in Alaska in 2008; 48 F-22s expected to begin arriving in Alaska in 2007; additional Cope Thunder exercises planned for Eielson Air Force Base; the transition of the Airborne Battalion at Fort Richardson to an Airborne Brigade; and additional aviation units from Korea being moved to Fort Wainwright.
Remember The president calling for refineries to be built on vacated military bases? Maybe, just maybe...
What do you suppose response time from Arizona would be?
Eielson is home to the 354th Fighter Wing. Other than a couple forward based F15s at Galena, its the primary defense base in Alaska. Move that south and Alaska is a sitting Duck for any N.Korean mischief.
If the fighters were to be moved off Eielson under realignment, all thats left is the 168th air refueling wing, a National Guard unit. They could theoretically be anywhere. However, they frequently refuel interdiction flights by the fighter wing, so they can't go far.
That's why Ted Stevens said:
"I think it is wrong to leave our area without fighter protection and it is wrong from a national security point of view because the access to our nation from that part of the world is across Alaska, so it is just not a good decision."
As for the heating costs, its, what, maybe 15 miles from the Alaska Pipeline?
The pipeline runs through the base. They have their own powerplant that also produces heat for the base.
I don't mind too much if my taxes go to support the troops.
More
http://www.news-miner.com/Stories/0,1413,113~7244~2869672,00.html
Three schools could close if base reduced
By R.A. DILLON
, Staff Writer
The possibility of troop reductions at Eielson Air Force Base could force the closure of three Fairbanks North Star Borough schools.
Officials at the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District are adopting a wait-and-see attitude to the Department of Defense's recommendation to realign almost all of Eielson's 2,950 military personnel.
Friday's recommendation would mean the loss of 1,280 students at Eielson Junior/Senior High School and Anderson and Crawford elementaries, effectively shutting down the three schools.
"This concerns us a great deal," Superintendent Ann Shortt said. "If we're closing schools because we don't have enough students, that's going to have a big impact."
Realignment would affect the three schools' 130 full-time and 40 part-time staff. It could also force many students from Moose Creek and Salcha into a school closer to Fairbanks, though those students and the remaining support staff slated to stay behind at Eielson might be enough to support a single school.
"It's possible we would keep a school open; we just don't know yet," Shortt said.
Even if realignment is recommended by an independent commission in September and then approved by Congress, district officials don't expect a drop in the current enrollment level of 14,500 students until 2006 at the earliest.
Shortt, who was asked to serve on a community task force to respond to the possibility of realignment, said the district was waiting for more information before proposing a plan of action.
"I just have a lot of questions right now," she said.
The district recently assumed ownership from the federal government of Eielson and Anderson. Voters in October approved a $4.5 million bond issue to pay for upgrades at Anderson. Shortt said the future of those improvements is uncertain.
The district has time to decide before construction on Anderson is scheduled to start in 2006. The Army Corps of Engineers is doing renovation on Eielson this summer and officials want to wait until that work is complete before starting their own project, said Scott Johnson, borough director of public works.
Friday's announcement was not met with skepticism by all, however.
Larry Martin, principal of Eielson, has taught on base for the past 16 years and has seen talk of base closures and realignments come and go.
"I'm not going to get excited until the September deadline," he said. "We're just going to go about business as usual and hope for good news."
Staff writer R.A. Dillon can be reached at 459-7503 or rdillon@newsminer.com .
More
http://www.news-miner.com/Stories/0,1413,113~7244~2869669,00.html
Downsizing Eielson an economic blow for Interior
By DIANA CAMPBELL
, Staff Writer
When Realtor Debe Reischke heard the news about the reductions in force at Eielson Air Force Base, she couldn't help but remember the "For Sale" signs that sprouted up around the Interior in the early 1980s.
Construction on the trans-Alaska oil pipeline was over. The economy slumped and people left. She remembers empty houses on every block.
But if the Department of Defense relocates more than 2,800 Air Force personnel and their 3,300 dependents--about 7 percent of Fairbanks North Star Borough population--she hopes it's not time to dust off those sale signs.
"If this actually happens, it would totally affect the economy here," said Reischke, who works for Somers & Associates.
OTHER ARTICLES IN THIS SECTION
Nerves are already twitching, she said. North Pole has enjoyed a growing real estate market, partly spurred by a strong military presence. But on Friday a client wondered if she should list a house at the lowest price possible in order to sell it fast before others hit the market.
Interior business people expressed emotions similar to Reischke's--first surprise, then concern and finally hope that it will not happen. The base could be spared as the process is completed over the next six months. But if Eielson is moved to "warm" status with just a few hundred personnel, it's bad economic news, they said Friday.
The base had a $374 million economic impact last year, with a payroll of $133 million for 2,877 active-duty personnel and $27.8 million for 428 civil service employees, according to Eielson numbers.
Eielson officials estimated that another $36.7 million was generated by 971 secondary and indirect jobs. Construction, services, health care, grocery, education and housing contracts off base brought in another $122.7 million.
The Defense Department proposal would reduce active military jobs at Eielson by about 2,800 and cut another 319 civilian jobs. The realignment would cost $141 million and save $229 million a year.
"It practically puts the base on caretaker status," state labor economist Brigitta Windisch-Cole said.
The civilian service jobs on the list include those who run the utilities, work in family and social services, and housing, she said. Off base the economic ripple would go into retail, hospitality, leisure, medical and other Interior services and businesses.
"It's going to have a big impact for Alaska in general," Windisch-Cole said.
The hit might be softened with the permanent installation of the Stryker Brigade at Fort Wainwright, adding 1,500 troops. But the soldiers have a different economic demographic than Eielson military, she said. Soldiers tend to be younger and single, while the Air Force sends up older members with families. Their tours of duty tend to be longer.
"They've been more ingrained into the community," she said.
Local businesses would feel the pinch.
Reischke's husband, Mark, is the manager at Petro Star's North Pole refinery, where almost a third of the 200,000 gallons produced daily goes to Eielson. He said the company has a contract to supply 19 million gallons of jet fuel a year.
The base is home to 36 F-17 fighter planes and A-10 Warthogs.
How much the company would lose if the cuts take place is unknown. The Alaska Air National Guard's 168th Air Refueling Wing would stay at Eielson under the proposal.
Currently that's about 567 people and eight tankers.
"Those refueling tankers use a lot of fuel," he said. "We'll just wait and see what happens."
Steve Denton was also taking a watchful approach. The vice president of business development at Usibelli Coal Mine in Healy said the company sent 180,000 tons of coal to Eielson for its power plant last year, representing 12 to 14 percent of sales.
"We really don't know what the impact would be," Denton said. "There could be scenarios where there could be no impact. I don't know how much the base can be cooled down and stop taking heat in the winter."
R&D Environmental, a local company, won an Eielson contract last year to collect refuse and operate recycling efforts on base after the Air Force privatized those services to save money. Dan Schwietert, the company's operation manager, was surprised to hear the news, but wasn't going to fret yet.
"I worry about things when they happen," he said. "We adjust and handle situations and keep a smile on our face."
There are 89 statewide contractors who provide services for the base. Forty-eight of those are based in the Fairbanks area. All have a financial stake in what the military does.
Whatever happens will be interesting to watch, said Angie Hawk, manager of Hawk's Greenhouse. Her North Pole company won a contract to supply the base's flowers this summer. Businesses bid on the contract yearly.
"Anytime you have that large of population leaving, it's going to affect every business," she said. "There are vast implications for the state."
North Pole Mayor Jeff Jacobson said the impact of such a loss would be hard on the city. Its economy is driven by the presence of two petroleum refineries, Eielson and Fort Wainwright.
Eielson's families like to get off base and go to North Pole restaurants to eat or shop, he said.
"A lot of our revenues are driven from our sales tax," he said. "I'm concerned immediately for that.
"I'll be fighting for North Pole and fighting for Eielson," he said.
Diana Campbell can be reached at 459-7523 or dcampbell@newsminer. com.
Planned Eielson force reduction sparks shock and worry
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AK_BASE_CLOSINGS_ALASKA_AKOL-?SITE=AKFAI&SECTION=HOME
FAIRBANKS (AP) -- First came astonishment, then worry and finally, for some, the hope that Eielson Air Force Base would remain the same economic powerhouse Fairbanks and North Pole residents have come to rely on.
Eielson, 30 miles southeast of Fairbanks and even closer to North Pole, would lose its fighter squadrons, including airmen who fly F-16s Fighting Falcons and A/OA-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft, under a base closure and realignment plan announced Friday by the Pentagon.
"I'm shocked. I'm amazed," said Darice Ackerson, a Santa Claus House worker whose husband is stationed at Eielson. "I live out there and knew nothing about it."
Under the plan, Kulis Air National Guard Station in Anchorage would be closed, with its mission, personnel and aircraft transferring to nearby Elmendorf Air Force Base. As part of the proposed shake-up, Elmendorf also would be realigned as a joint base with Fort Richardson.
Before any changes can take place, the proposals must be approved or modified by a federal base closing commission by Sept. 8, then endorsed by Congress and President Bush.
Under the proposed changes, Alaska would lose 4,818 military or civilian jobs. Of those, almost 3,000 would come from Eielson, which would remain open but realigned to a "warm base" position with just a few hundred personnel. About 3,500 dependents also would be affected.
The loss represents more than 7 percent of the Fairbanks North Star Borough population, although the impact could be offset by the Army's plan to locate a Stryker brigade at nearby Fort Wainwright, adding 1,500 soldiers, officials said.
Still, some locals are fretting.
"If Eielson closed, it would devastate our business in North Pole," said Ken Pleasants, who helps manage the three Interior Wendy's franchises and counts anywhere from one to three airmen's children among every 10 of his employees.
Borough school district officials said troop reductions could force the closure of three schools - Eielson Junior/Senior High School and Anderson and Crawford elementaries. The district recently assumed ownership from the federal government of Eielson and Anderson.
"This concerns us a great deal," Superintendent Ann Shortt said. "If we're closing schools because we don't have enough students, that's going to have a big impact."
Realtor Debe Reischke said the news is already making homeowners nervous in North Pole, which has enjoyed a growing real estate market, partly spurred by a strong military presence. On Friday, a client wondered if she should list a house at the lowest possible price to sell it fast before others hit the market.
"If this actually happens, it would totally affect the economy here," Reischke said.
Her husband, Mark Reischke, manages Petro Star's North Pole refinery, where almost a third of the 200,000 gallons produced daily goes to Eielson. He said the company has a contract to supply 19 million gallons of jet fuel a year.
How much the company would lose if the cuts take place is unclear. The Alaska Air National Guard's 168th Air Refueling Wing would stay at Eielson under the proposal.
"Those refueling tankers use a lot of fuel," Mark Reischke said. "We'll just wait and see what happens."
Also keeping an optimistic eye on the future was Eielson school principal Larry Martin. He's taught on base for 16 years and has heard talk of base closures and realignments before.
"I'm not going to get excited until the September deadline," he said. "We're just going to go about business as usual and hope for good news."
There should be a thread about the withdrawal of the primary contractor from negotiations with the Alaska Port Authority for construction of the AllAlaska natural gas pipeline today. Big feather to Rick Rydell for spotting this weeks before it happened.
Jay Makrinder, a German Geographer wrote that the best way to protect a Country is to protect it's perimenter. In today's world of Rockets and Missiles Super Sonic Aircraft, planes of speeds of Mach 8+, plus top secret air and space craft, UFO's, and Terrorism. Defense plans, center around that fact that Alaska is the Central location to all out lying geographic locations. It does not look good to close down a base that is the strategic center of the free world. Alaska is the closest location to the areas of China and Korea. Two countries that seem to be gearing up for anti Americanism.
I believe in promoting World Peace and in becoming friends with every country in our world. However, we cannot forget that when a person let's his/her guard down an unknown enemy will take advantage of the vulnerability.
Closing Eielson would be a big mistake regardless of how expensive it is to maintain it.
On another note, we now know about the Extra terrestrial Threat that is possibly surmounting. Closing down any Air Space or Missile Facility would be a big mistake in light of this new news. If anyone would want to see solid evidence of this possibility it can be viewed from a DVD called "Evidence: The Case For NASA UFO's." Hosted by Dan Akroyd and Starring David Sereda.
It can be purchased at www.shopterra.com. It is worth the price.
Also, Please Remember that loose lips sink ships. What is said here can be used by terrorist factions who have access to the internet. Please becareful what you say.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.