Saturday, July 28, 2001
Officials: Dyess likely to
survive B-1 cuts
By Sidney Schuhmann
Reporter-News Staff Writer
If the entire B-1B bomber fleet was retired,
would Dyess Air Force Base be reduced to silent runways, empty
hangars and locked gates?
Not likely, say Abilene city leaders and
defense experts. Besides keeping the C-130 transport planes at
Dyess, the Air Force would probably hand over another mission.
What that mission would be is up for debate.
Recent Defense Department plans to retire
one-third of the nation’s 93 B-1s have raised questions about
the future of the five bases, including Dyess, that are home to
the bombers. Abilene city leaders are confident that Dyess is
vital to the nation’s defense, with or without the $200 million
supersonic bomber.
“Whatever the bomber fleet is going
to be, Dyess has some major advantages over any other base in
the country,” said U.S. Rep. Charles Stenholm, an Abilene
Democrat.
Defense analyst Loren Thompson said a base
that can survive four rounds of base closures will probably stay
open.
“It implies it (the Air Force) needs
the facility,” said Thompson, who is the chief operating
officer of the Lexington Institute, a conservative think tank
in Arlington, Va. “Dyess was looked at closely all four times.
The presumption is what’s left is needed.”
Defense Base Realignment and Closure commissions,
known as BRAC, pared the domestic military infrastructure by one-fifth
and cost Texas seven military installations between 1988 and 1993.
The cuts were meant to save money and slim down the military.
Two more rounds of base closures are expected
in 2003 and 2005. Thompson, who also teaches an international
security class at Georgetown University, said the Air Force will
probably close research facilities instead of major bases in future
rounds.
Dyess employs 5,300 people and, according
to the base, has an estimated $307 million economic impact on
Abilene. City leaders say Dyess was spared by BRAC because the
base and community are advantageous to the Air Force.
“Lots of other military installations
would close before Dyess,” said Frank Puckett, chairman of
Abilene’s Military Affairs Committee. “Anything is possible,
but that (Dyess closing) is fairly remote.”
Dyess supporters say the base has sound
buildings, long runways, ample ramp space, 6,000 acres, access
to military training areas and airspace, and fewer operational
costs than other bases. West Texas has good year-round flying
weather, while Abilene is supportive of the base and large enough
to provide support services such as hospitals, public and private
schools, and three universities.
The bad news is these attributes are not
unique to Dyess.
“There are other bases that are as
competitive in these areas as we are,” said retired Col.
Bill Ehrie, a former Dyess commander and president of the Abilene
Industrial Foundation.
He said the base and community have drawbacks
as well.
Spouses of airmen have complained they can’t
find jobs in Abilene, and when they do, they are paid low wages.
Dyess families also complain that the city offers less entertainment
and fewer restaurants than larger areas and the nearest major
metropolitan area is three hours away.
Another drawback, though minor compared
to bases near large cities such as Los Angeles, is what the military
calls encroachment. The small town of Tye north of the base is
unwilling to restrict construction near Dyess’ runway.
Homes, businesses and other buildings that
people frequent can restrict flight times if built too close to
a base’s runway, which has a higher potential for aircraft
accidents. Less time in the sky can weaken a base’s mission
because aircrews can’t get the training they need.
Encroachment is a growing concern for Abilene
officials because it is one of many factors considered by BRAC
commissioners when they study bases.
Another concern for Dyess is a pending lawsuit
that West Texas ranchers have brought against the Air Force to
stop low-level bomber training. The Air Force says moving the
training from northern states to West Texas will save time and
money, but ranchers are worried about the environmental and economic
impact.
Although Stenholm has said he is confident
the Air Force will prevail in the dispute, he noted that the outcome
of litigation is always uncertain.
City leaders work diligently year-round
to promote Dyess to Air Force officials and lawmakers on Capitol
Hill. The city hired Washington consultants to monitor legislation
and offer advice about strengthening Dyess.
“The remaining installations are very
competitive,” Ehrie said. “They are fighting for every
inch of ground. You have to be a player and not someone sitting
on the sidelines watching.”
New weapons
One way to strengthen Dyess is to add missions.
The base has two: flying 40 B-1s and 28
C-130 cargo planes.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has requested
permission from Congress to retire 33 B-1s in budget year 2002,
which begins Oct. 1. Some supporters of the bomber say retiring
B-1s will hurt the remaining fleet and cause the entire fleet
to eventually be retired. Others view the move as positive as
long as the savings are reinvested into upgrading the bombers’
capabilities, which Rumsfeld has endorsed.
Stenholm said the B-1 fleet could last another
20 years. After that, who knows?
“The B-1 won’t last forever under
the best of circumstances,” he said.
Without B-1s, Dyess would still have a fleet
of C-130s. The cargo planes are “just as important to Dyess’
future,” Ehrie said.
“We can’t take the C-130 mission
for granted,” Ehrie said. “… All too often we focus
in on the B-1. If the B-1 were to go away in a year, the C-130s
would still be there and we would probably get another weapon
system to replace the B-1.”
Two weapon systems mentioned as possibilities
for Dyess in the last year are the B-2 stealth bombers and the
Airborne Laser program.
The B-2 bomber has long been a rival of
the B-1 for money and support. The Air Force owns 21 of the stealth
bombers, which are located at a Missouri base.
Defense analyst Thompson said a plan was
circulating around Capitol Hill over the last year to build more
B-2s, retire the B-1s and place 20 B-2s at Dyess.
“It’s logical to place them at
a base with existing bombing structure,” he said.
Bombers have roared down Dyess runways since
shortly after the base opened in 1956. The first bomber, the B-47,
was replaced by the B-52, and later, the B-1.
However, Air Force Secretary James Roche
has expressed no immediate plans to build more B-2s. Thompson
said Roche is leaning toward recommending development of the next-generation
bomber, the so-called “B-3.”
Air Force brass is already pursuing the
development of the Airborne Laser. The ABL is a 747 jumbo jet
equipped with a laser in its nose that can shoot down enemy missiles
while they are still over the country from which they were launched.
“The ABL is the highest priority new
concept weapon the Air Force has,” Thompson said.
Competition for the ABL is stiff. Bases
in California, North Dakota and Nebraska have expressed interest
in it. Dyess supporters are confident the Abilene base is a strong
contender.
“Dyess is already the front-runner
to winning the ABL,” Stenholm said.
A base will probably be chosen for the weapon
system in 2004, military experts say.
“Dyess fits perfectly,” Puckett
said. “If it (ABL) doesn’t go here, we want to know
why.”
Regardless of what weapon system lands at
Dyess, base supporters say the military installation is here to
stay.
“There’s no indication the base
is going to close,” Ehrie said. “The indication is the
Air Force is going to continue making an investment in Dyess with
weapons such as the Airborne Laser.”
Contact military writer Sidney Schuhmann
at 676-6721 or schuhmanns@abinews.com
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©2001, Abilene Reporter-News / Texnews / E.W. Scripps.
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