MILITARY BUDGET CUTS Keeping air base open a priority, senator says

The facility is the fifth-largest employer in the Mahoning Valley.
VIENNA -- U.S. Sen. George V. Voinovich liked what he saw during his visit to the Youngstown Joint Air Reserve Station and will work to keep the facility open.
Voinovich, a Cleveland Republican, visited the air base Monday, escorted by U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Niles, D-17th, and Col. Timothy Thomson, the facility's commander. Thomson, Ryan and others briefed the senator on the air base, its economic benefit to the Mahoning Valley and why it should remain open.
The scene is being repeated around the country in anticipation of a May announcement about which facilities will be on the list that the Pentagon will give to the Base Realignment and Closure Commission. This is the fifth round of cuts in a BRAC process that began in 1988. Already, 25 percent of the military's bases have been closed. And this round is expected to be the most comprehensive, putting the future of many of the nation's 425 stateside bases in doubt.
Big potential savings
The Bush administration says the military still has facilities it does not need and a 20 percent cut could save $7 billion annually that could be spent improving fighting capabilities to combat terrorism.
Local leaders want to make sure that the Vienna air base is kept off the list. The base is the fifth-largest employer in the Mahoning Valley with more than 2,400 reservists. It puts more than $100 million annually into the local economy, and created more than 700 off-base jobs.
Keeping the Vienna base open is vital to the finances of the Valley, Voinovich said. The senator said he will work with Ryan and U.S. Sen. Mike DeWine, a Cedarville Republican, to make sure the local base remains open.
Voinovich and Ryan are hopeful that not only will the local base remain open, but that it could grow as military personnel gets displaced through the BRAC process.
"We can make a strong argument to keep this base strong," Ryan said. "We're cautiously optimistic we'll be OK when the process is finished. "The base is the state's second-largest military facility, and provides the only full-time, fixed-wing aerial spray capability among Department of Defense facilities. It is the home of the Air Force Reserve's 910th Airlift Wing, and Navy and Marine reserve units.
Uniqueness counts
Voinovich repeatedly asked base officials Monday what is unique about the facility.
"The more you have something that's unique, the better off you are," he said in regard to the BRAC process. "The more unique, the better. It will boil down to that."
Voinovich was pleased to hear the facility is the only aerial spray unit.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has said the nation has an extra base capacity of 25 percent. That doesn't necessarily mean 25 percent of the 425 stateside bases would close under BRAC because the military is consolidating some of its facilities overseas and will need homes for those returning to the United States. Voinovich said the United States was going to pull troops out of Germany and South Korea.
Voinovich is visiting all military bases in Ohio to gauge their chances of staying off the BRAC list.
"We want to do everything to put our best foot forward on each of our facilities," he said. "You have to distinguish your facility from others."
The decision on the base closure could come as early as Sept. 23 or as late as Nov. 7.
Voinovich said politics doesn't play a factor in the BRAC decision, but said he would do his best to make sure Ohio bases aren't on the chopping block.
"Our job is to get the best information possible to the people who make the decisions, and let the chips fall where they may," he said. "Our job is to convey the uniqueness of each facility in Ohio."
Ryan isn't taking any chances that politics won't be at play when it comes to the base closures. The second-term congressman was appointed last month to the House Armed Services Committee's Readiness Subcommittee, which has oversight of the BRAC process.
Also in October, Ryan was able to place $954,000 into the Department of Defense reauthorization bill to plan and design housing facilities for reservists. One of the local base's weaknesses is its lack of housing for reservists. The money is going toward planning and designing a 131-room lodging facility. The base needs $10 million to build the facility.