Firing-range funds for airbase must be preserved in US budget

For the short-term viability and the long-term survival of the Youngstown Air Reserve Station in Vienna Township, last week’s budget proposal from President Barack Obama to infuse $9.4 million into the airbase for a new firing range portends a lofty future for YARS.

For the short term, the proposed state-of-the- art range will catapult firearms training at the base into the 21st century. The indoor facility will replace a partially covered outdoor range that, at more than 30 years old, has far outlived its optimal usefulness.

“The new one is a fully indoor firing range that allows us to shoot all the weapons that we use, whether it’s shotguns or heavy weapons, right down to just our regular side arms,” said Col. James Dignan, commander of the 910th Airlift Wing at YARS. As such, it represents a major investment in the base’s capability to offer stellar marksmanship instruction to thousands of military personnel.

For the long-term, the enhancement will give the airbase more firepower to sustain the next round of Base Realignment and Closings, expected in 2017 as proposed by the Defense Department and the Obama administration. Not only will the new range give cutting-edge instruction to thousands of military reserve personnel, it also will tower as a community asset. That’s because plans call for its use to be shared with a wealth of civilian law-enforcement agencies throughout the region.

The double-barreled military-community impact of that significant and new investment will fortify a growing list of links between the base and Valley governments and institutions, including the YARS partnerships with Youngstown State University for military training and Mercy Health for medical instruction. Collectively, these bonds undoubtedly will strengthen the standing of YARS in the eyes of the number-crunchers who will evaluate which bases will stand and which will fall a short two years from now.

CONGRESSIONAL SUPPORT

That’s why we’re pleased that Democrat U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown of Cleveland and U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Howland, D-13th, have pledged their full support for the project. Ryan said he plans to do “everything in my power to ensure that this funding remains in the final [budget] bill.”

Brown is equally committed: “This funding will ensure that Ohio Airmen are equipped with the skills and training they need to perform their critical national security missions. I will continue to work to ensure that the Youngstown Air Reserve Station is fully utilized.”

In addition, we’re counting on the strong bipartisan support of other members of the Valley’s congressional delegation — namely Republican U.S. Sen. Rob Portman and GOP U.S. Reps. Bill Johnson and David Joyce — to again forge a solid alliance to preserve the firing-range funding.

That alliance proved its value two months ago, when all five of them worked to ensure that the 2015 National Defense Authorization Act included funding to modernize Ohio’s C-130H fleet, the critical powerhouse aircraft based at the Vienna air reserve station.

The Obama administration’s proposed additional investment of $9.4 million represents yet another solid recognition by the federal government of the important role the airbase plays in this nation’s national defense and domestic security. It also reinforces the importance of YARS as a robust economic engine for the Mahoning Valley, given the 1,500 jobs it fills and the $100 million impact it has on Valley commerce. As such, approval of the funding would represent a win-win proposition for the security and vitality of our nation and our region.