http://www.macon.com/mld/macon/12174077.htm
Moody loses shot at mission
By Gene Rector
Telegraph Staff Writer
ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE - Moody Air Force Base in Valdosta apparently has lost its opportunity to gain a huge U.S. Navy flying mission, but supporters say the decision will create little disappointment in south Georgia and probably no additional missions or jobs for Robins Air Force Base.
During an afternoon session in Washington D.C., the nine-member BRAC 2005 commission, voted 7- 1 with one recusal to consider Naval Air Station Oceana, Va., for closure or realignment. But the same number of BRAC commissioners voted against recommending Moody as the bed-down location for the affected Navy units.
The move leaves the Defense Department's May 13 BRAC recommendations affecting Moody on the table. Those recommendations outlined a net gain of about 600 jobs and additional A-10 aircraft.
U.S. Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Ga., whose 1st District includes Moody, pointed out late Tuesday that the the area has a long association with the Air Force.
"Valdosta is an Air Force town. Part of their thinking is that it would be a good thing if the Navy moves in, but they would have to re-establish themselves in terms of contacts," he said. "They didn't want to lose all of that goodwill investment."
Bill Johnson, Kingston's chief of staff, said BRAC 2005 remains good news for Moody. "Today was all good news," said Johnson, who attended Tuesday's hearing. "Moody's issue was is it going to be 'safe Air Force' or 'safe Navy.'"
Ron Carbon, director of the 21st Century Partnership, attended the hearing. He said the decision gives the commission more latitude in deciding where the Oceana mission should go. The Partnership is a Middle Georgia group of political, business and civic leaders who have supported Robins Air Force Base during the base realignment and closure process.
"The commissioners also may recommend closing Oceana but leave it up to the Defense Department to identify where the forces are going," said Carbon. "I believe that's the way it will go. That would put the onus back on the Defense Department."
The commission is the only agency with the authority to add or delete specific installations from the Defense Department's list of 837 closure and realignment recommendations. The commission's final report is due to the president in September.
The Oceana force includes 190 F/A-18 and F-14 aircraft along with about 10,000 operational and support jobs. Carbon is not optimistic that Robins will be considered for part of that workload. "I wouldn't raise any hopes for that," he said. "Of course we're going to monitor it to see what is decided."
Retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Ron Smith, a consultant to the partnership, also believes Robins' chances are not good. "It would be a longshot for us to gain any of the Oceana operation," he said. "If they had decided to move the Oceana mission to Moody, we were hoping to gain some of the missions they would move out of Moody. But we are where we are. Something might fall out, but I haven't seen anything yet."
The Oceana and Moody issues were part of 12 new realignment and closure initiatives identified by the commission July 1. None directly involved Robins. The local base is programmed to gain 749 jobs under the Defense Department's BRAC plan.
Johnson also doesn't believe Robins will gain from the Oceana recommendation. "Robins is an unlikely recipient," he said. "Of course the good news for Robins is they're not on the closure list at all."
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