Thursday, July 19, 2001
Amendment would give group time to protect
Dyess interests
By Tara Copp
Reporter-News Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON - An amendment barring the use
of 2001 defense funds to relocate the B-1 bomber fleet before
Oct. 1 would "buy some time" for Dyess Air Force Base
advocates to strategize on how to protect the base's interests,
they say.
The amendment's language, offered by Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan.,
was incorporated into the Senate's 2001 supplemental spending
bill, which passed 98-1 last week. The bill still must win final
approval from the U.S. House and Senate, and then from President
Bush, after consideration by a conference committee of House members
and senators.
Roberts' office does not expect any opposition.
Prohibiting the spending of 2001 money to move B-1s would effectively
keep all 93 planes from being relocated until at least Oct. 1,
the beginning of the 2002 budget year.
The B-1 is assigned to five air force bases: Dyess, Ellsworth
in South Dakota, McConnell in Kansas, Mountain Home in Idaho,
and Robins in Georgia. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has proposed
reducing the fleet to 60 planes and consolidating them at Dyess
and Ellsworth.
Dyess' fleet would decrease from 40 planes to 32.
"The amendment at least buys us some time," said former
Dyess commander Bill Ehrie, who traveled to Washington on Tuesday
to discuss the B-1 and other Abilene-related issues. "…
But the amendment is only effective through Sept. 30 of this year.
What happens beyond that, we don't know."
Frank Puckett, chairman of Abilene's Military Affairs Committee,
said Dyess advocates will use the time to sort out details of
the Air Force's plan to determine the ultimate impact.
"The Abilene community is disappointed with the Department
of Defense and the Air Force's opposition on B-1s," he said.
"As recently as a few months ago, we were told the B-1 is
the backbone of the bomber fleet and that it will continue to
be. We are not sure if that is the intention of the Air Force
or not now.
"What we'd like to see is the details of this plan roll out
to the point that we can see and understand that that is in fact
going to continue to be the case.''
Rumsfeld has said that cutting the fleet by 33 planes would save
$1.5 billion over five years, which would be used to upgrade the
remaining planes. Puckett welcomes that possibility.
"If … that makes the B-1 a more viable weapons system,"
he said, "then we'll go along with the program.
"Right now, we're counting very heavily on Hutchison, Stenholm
and Gramm to take the forefront on these issues," he added,
referring to Texas Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchison and Phil Gramm and
U.S. Rep. Charles Stenholm, D-Abilene.
Contact Washington bureau writer Tara Copp
at coppt@shns.com
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©2001, Abilene Reporter-News / Texnews / E.W. Scripps.
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