<b>Pennsylvania Officials Fight to Keep C-130s</b> (Posted: Friday, July 08, 2005)
[Fayetteville (NC) Observer, July 8, 2005]
By Don Worthington
WASHINGTON - All the Pentagon needs to do to keep the 911th Airlift Wing in Pittsburgh is buy enough paint to mark off 12 more parking spots for cargo planes, Pennsylvania officials said Thursday.
The officials were speaking facetiously, but they had a serious point: They believe the recommendation to move the wing's eight C-130s to Pope Air Force Base is based on poor reasoning.
The Pentagon has cited a lack of space for expansion at Pittsburgh International Airport in recommending the shift of the 911th as part of its Base Closure and Realignment - or BRAC - process.
Officials from Pennsylvania got to respond to the recommendation - along with other suggested base closings in the state - in a hearing before the Base Closure and Realignment Commission on Thursday. The hearing was in Washington.
Pennsylvania officials said the recommendations would cost the state 1,878 jobs. They were especially concerned about the possible loss of the 911th and the Naval Air Station at Willow Grove near Philadelphia.
Gov. Rendell said both recommendations are based on incorrect information. The Pittsburgh airport has 53 acres it is willing to give to the military. Officials want to use the land for a regional joint-readiness center that could serve all the branches of the military. The airport first made the land offer in 1994, said Mike Langley, co-chairman of the Pit-BRAC task force.
Willow Grove is a model for joint operations, officials said. The Navy shares the facility with the Air National Guard's 111th Fighter Wing and reserve units from the Army, Marines and Air Force, as well as the federal agencies. The Pentagon did not evaluate the base from a joint perspective, Rendell said.
Throughout the hearing, speakers urged restraint in moving bases during a time of war. Several cited Thursday's terrorist attacks in London as evidence that there are continued threats.
The shift of the 911th to Pope is part of an overall plan to get rid of Pope's 43rd Airlift Wing and turn the base over to Fort Bragg. The air field would continue to serve paratroopers, and 16 C-130 cargo planes would be moved from the 911th and from an Air National Guard wing in West Virginia.
Cumberland County officials have protested the shift of the 43rd Wing and the transfer of Pope to Fort Bragg control.
At Thursday's hearing, Pennsylvania officials made many of the same arguments West Virginia officials made at a hearing last week in Charlotte. Each wing has homeland security duties in addition to airlift responsibilities. The 911th's responsibilities include being prepared to move wounded people to the 73 hospitals in the Pittsburgh area after a terrorist attack.
More than 100 people traveled from Pittsburgh to attend the hearing. They wore yellow T-shirts with the motto: "Pittsburgh: Land & More."
Joseph Constant, who served 22 years in the Army, said he believes Pennsylvania officials did their job.
"It's in the bag," Constant said. "The 911th is staying. We had land and experienced pilots and crews. They can bring 10 more C-130s and we have the people to do the job."
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