askDNA
09-17-2005, 10:10 PM
Sept. 16, 2005, 8:20PM
Ellington Field must be saved for national security
Facility is security linchpin in terrorist-target-rich city
By C.J. (JIM) REINHARTSEN
In a region that includes the fourth-largest city in the country, the retention of jobs was never part of the argument to retain the Texas Air National Guard 147th Fighter Wing at Ellington Air Force Base.
By defending Houston and its neighbors, the full wing of F-16s provides strategic national defense for the only city in the country with nine terrorist targets identified by the FBI and Homeland Security.
If jobs were the prime objective, the Ellington Field Task Force would have issued a "stand-down" order after the joint reserve base was established, or when the announcement was made that 12 Predators were on their way. The movement of 2,300 reservists of the Marine Corps, Navy and Army from Old Spanish Trail to Ellington would have made the action "mission complete." The Predators, unmanned surveillance aircraft, will bring 450 jobs, an initial $250 million budget in 2006 and $68 million in annual operating funds.
Still, jobs are not the point; national security drives retaining the 147th.
In a scenario in which every second counts, Kelly Air Guard Station in San Antonio can provide planes — but not the same defense as a full air-sovereignty-alert wing like the 147th.
In fact, jets responding from Kelly at maximum speed would have to be refueled after a 20-to-25-minute response time. The mission of Kelly Air Guard Station is to train pilots. Combat mission-ready pilots — not trainees — would be required to respond to an emergency in Houston. Complicating matters more would be the lack of a "bomb dump" configured to support the air sovereignty alert mission. Besides having to refuel, those planes would have to be loaded with ordnance, since they are not armed while on standby.
James T. Hill, a member of the Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC), said, "As we look at the distribution of aircraft under this BRAC round, and trying to place them in the right places, (in) this particular case, we put aircraft into Kelly Field [and the added] 18 F-16s that can respond."
The illusion is that planes at Kelly will be able to respond appropriately when they are not configured to do so. The 149th from Kelly does not satisfy the crucial requirements necessary for the ultimate air defense of the terrorist-target-rich environment of Houston and its surrounding region.
The catastrophic impact of a successful terrorist attack to Houston and the Texas Gulf Coast could bring down the nation's economy. The impact of Hurricane Katrina affected approximately 10 percent of the nation's refinery capacity — a secondary consideration after the tragedy of deaths.
A terrorist attack to our region could cut off 25 percent of the nation's refineries, 44 percent of the capacity of petrochemical plants and 100 percent of the capacity of the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
In defiance of logic, the BRAC overrode the recommendations of the Defense Department and the Northern Command (NORTHCOM), which is in charge of homeland defense, and the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).
Military assets in Great Falls, Montana; Portland, Oregon; Barnes, Mass.; and Duluth, Minn., were deemed higher priorities for national security than a region that produces 25 percent of all aviation fuel. In Ellington's case, the BRAC commission agreed with NORTHCOM's recommendations and voted to phase out the F-16s.
For all the disappointment, the Ellington Field Task Force should be proud of the job they did. Everything possible was done to reverse the Defense Department's recommendation to get rid of the 147th by 2007. The most recent battle was lost but the war for Ellington is still being won. With the realization of the joint reserve base, and the Predators, Ellington's mission will increase.
House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Sugar Land, said he would continue the fight to "make Ellington Field stronger and more effective and to ensure the security of the Houston region."
The fight must continue — not for jobs or money saved — but for national security.
Reinhartsen is president of the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership, a nonprofit organization that promotes the growth of the Bay Area Houston region through the retention, expansion and recruitment of target industries.
:| :| :| :fork:
Ellington Field must be saved for national security
Facility is security linchpin in terrorist-target-rich city
By C.J. (JIM) REINHARTSEN
In a region that includes the fourth-largest city in the country, the retention of jobs was never part of the argument to retain the Texas Air National Guard 147th Fighter Wing at Ellington Air Force Base.
By defending Houston and its neighbors, the full wing of F-16s provides strategic national defense for the only city in the country with nine terrorist targets identified by the FBI and Homeland Security.
If jobs were the prime objective, the Ellington Field Task Force would have issued a "stand-down" order after the joint reserve base was established, or when the announcement was made that 12 Predators were on their way. The movement of 2,300 reservists of the Marine Corps, Navy and Army from Old Spanish Trail to Ellington would have made the action "mission complete." The Predators, unmanned surveillance aircraft, will bring 450 jobs, an initial $250 million budget in 2006 and $68 million in annual operating funds.
Still, jobs are not the point; national security drives retaining the 147th.
In a scenario in which every second counts, Kelly Air Guard Station in San Antonio can provide planes — but not the same defense as a full air-sovereignty-alert wing like the 147th.
In fact, jets responding from Kelly at maximum speed would have to be refueled after a 20-to-25-minute response time. The mission of Kelly Air Guard Station is to train pilots. Combat mission-ready pilots — not trainees — would be required to respond to an emergency in Houston. Complicating matters more would be the lack of a "bomb dump" configured to support the air sovereignty alert mission. Besides having to refuel, those planes would have to be loaded with ordnance, since they are not armed while on standby.
James T. Hill, a member of the Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC), said, "As we look at the distribution of aircraft under this BRAC round, and trying to place them in the right places, (in) this particular case, we put aircraft into Kelly Field [and the added] 18 F-16s that can respond."
The illusion is that planes at Kelly will be able to respond appropriately when they are not configured to do so. The 149th from Kelly does not satisfy the crucial requirements necessary for the ultimate air defense of the terrorist-target-rich environment of Houston and its surrounding region.
The catastrophic impact of a successful terrorist attack to Houston and the Texas Gulf Coast could bring down the nation's economy. The impact of Hurricane Katrina affected approximately 10 percent of the nation's refinery capacity — a secondary consideration after the tragedy of deaths.
A terrorist attack to our region could cut off 25 percent of the nation's refineries, 44 percent of the capacity of petrochemical plants and 100 percent of the capacity of the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
In defiance of logic, the BRAC overrode the recommendations of the Defense Department and the Northern Command (NORTHCOM), which is in charge of homeland defense, and the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).
Military assets in Great Falls, Montana; Portland, Oregon; Barnes, Mass.; and Duluth, Minn., were deemed higher priorities for national security than a region that produces 25 percent of all aviation fuel. In Ellington's case, the BRAC commission agreed with NORTHCOM's recommendations and voted to phase out the F-16s.
For all the disappointment, the Ellington Field Task Force should be proud of the job they did. Everything possible was done to reverse the Defense Department's recommendation to get rid of the 147th by 2007. The most recent battle was lost but the war for Ellington is still being won. With the realization of the joint reserve base, and the Predators, Ellington's mission will increase.
House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Sugar Land, said he would continue the fight to "make Ellington Field stronger and more effective and to ensure the security of the Houston region."
The fight must continue — not for jobs or money saved — but for national security.
Reinhartsen is president of the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership, a nonprofit organization that promotes the growth of the Bay Area Houston region through the retention, expansion and recruitment of target industries.
:| :| :| :fork: