BRAC reveals possible move of F-35s to MHAFB

The Air Force may have more extensive plans for Mountain Home Air Force Base than those outlined in the Base Realignment and Closure recommendations that were approved by the BRAC commission last week and forwarded to the president.

In the report sent to President Bush the BRAC panel affirmed the Air Force recommendation to move an F-15E squadron from Elmendorf AFB in Alaska to the base in 2009, and then move the F-16 and F-16 squadrons currently here to other locations in 2011.

But in the findings that the BRAC commission sent to the president the panel also noted that "the Air Force (has) indicated that the base is being considered as a potential location for the beddown of the Joint Strike Fighter as well as a training ground for international squadrons."

In addition, the commission noted, in language almost unique among its recommendations, that "Mountain Home Air Force Base is well suited for various types of flight training. It also has the capacity and infrastructure available to receive future missions."

Although most local observers believed the eventual loss of a full squadron of aircraft would be made up somehow by the Air Force, either by realigning F-15Es from overseas bases or assigning an F-22 Raptor squadron here, the revelation that the Air Force was considering Mountain Home as a site for the new Joint Strike Fighter caused most to reaffirm their belief that the future of the airbase remains bright.

"Idaho made its case very well to the BRAC commission," Sen. Larry Craig said Saturday while attending the AFAD parade. "I think BRAC and the Department of Defense, and the Air Force, sees this as a base for the future."

The Joint Strike Fighter, which is in development stages and has yet to be approved for production by Congress, would come in three variations. One would be designed to land on carriers (Navy), one would be designed for Vertical Take-off and Landing (Marines), using a system similar to the current AV-8B Harrier, and one would be designed as the replacement for the F-16 (Air Force) and be designated as the F-35.

As its name implies, all of the services would cooperate in the purchase of the aircraft, which is being developed by Lockheed-Martin. An initial purchase of 2,400 aircraft is currently being considered.

Although there have been some rumors that the Department of Defense may abandon the F-35 for budgetary reasons, Acting Air Force Secretary Pete Geren reaffirmed the service's commitment to the F-35 just last Friday but said the number of planes that will be built remains up in the air.

At a speech in Dallas, Texas, Geren dismissed recent reports that the Air Force's version of the F-35 might be offered up as a budget sacrifice to save billions of dollars for other Pentagon programs.

The Air Force needs the F-35 and the more expensive F/A-22 Raptor, Geren said in response to a question at the Dallas Friday Group luncheon. "The future of our Air Force is to do both of those," he said.

Sen. Craig also said he wasn't surprised by the revelation that the Air Force is planning on expanding its training of foreign pilots at the base. "We've been saying all along that we have a tremendous training facility here," he said, noting that the foreign forces that have trained here recently have commented on the similarity between the southern Idaho area and terrain in the hot spots of the Mideast.

Mountain Home AFB has hosted squadrons from Great Britain's Royal Air Force and the Israeli Defense Force in the last year, and is expecting to conduct joint training with the German Luftwaffe forces in October.

Based on the information contained in the BRAC report, and Mountain Home News contacts within the Pentagon, it appears that training of foreign forces at the base will be greatly expanded over the next few years.

By next Friday the president must submit to Congress "a report containing the president's approval or disapproval" of the BRAC commissions recommendations. He must approve or reject the entire package.

If he approves them, they will go into effect in 45 days unless Congress enacts a joint resolution of disapproval.

Both the president and Congress are expected to approve the recommendations.

The commission also approved DoD's plan to move the C-130s from the Idaho Air National Guard to Wyoming, leaving the IANG only with it's A-10 aircraft.

The ability of the the Department of Defense to make unilateral changes to National Guard forces is a matter of legal dispute. Gov. Dirk Kempthorne has indicated he may join lawsuits being filed by other states to block those moves, but is waiting to see how those lawsuits fare in federal courts. So far, some courts have upheld injunctions blocking those moves, while others have rejected them.

Many governors, Kempthorne among them, contend that DoD cannot make the moves without the consent of the governors, who hold legal authority over National Guard forces unless they have been federalized for service with the regular armed forces.