Commission, community must fight to protect base

The Mahoning Valley has long stood at the ready to protect and defend its No. 1 federal government asset, namely the sprawling Youngstown Air Reserve Station in Vienna Township. Time after time, U.S. Air Force Reserve officials allied with community leaders have fought the good fight to safeguard its 1,500 jobs and its $180 million impact on our region’s commerce – most often with smashing victories.

As preparations begin for the next round of Base Realignment And Closure recommendations for 2017, we’re heartened that strategic planning already has begun for that next major battle. Specifically, the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber this week launched the Eastern Ohio Military Affairs Commission to address the Pentagon’s redeployment decisions and to ensure YARS does not end up on the dreaded downsizing directive two years from now.

Thomas Humphries, president of the Regional Chamber, succinctly outlines the important mission of the commission: “Our local military installations, especially the air base in Vienna, play significant roles in our local economy and in national defense.”

In its effort to persuade the Pentagon to keep YARS off its chopping block, the chamber has hired Atty. Vito Abruzzino, formerly with the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps at Fort Jackson, S.C., and Fort Bragg, N.C., to head EOMAC. We suspect Abruzzino’s impressive credentials will lend him the ears of key military decision-makers.

And fortunately for Abruzzino, he need not start at Ground Zero. He should begin by reviewing some of the pages straight out of the SOARS playbook. Ten years ago, the Save Our Air Reserve Station communitywide campaign succeeded in sparing the Valley air base from closure or significant cuts. That multifront drive centered on intense lobbying of military and congressional leaders while building a vast and vocal network of support from all segments of Greater Youngstown.

ENLIST SUPPORT OF THE POWERFUL

Abruzzino also should take advantage of the Valley’s friends in high places. For example, U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Howland, D-13th, sits on the most powerful committee in the House, the Appropriations Committee. He and U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson of Marietta, R-6th, both have been stalwart fighters for expansion at the air base, as have Ohio’s two U.S. senators – Democrat Sherrod Brown and Republican Rob Portman.

In addition, the commission would do well to urge former Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams to lend his influential hand to support YARS. Today, Williams serves as an assistant secretary of commerce in the Obama administration. Considering the base’s impact on Valley commerce, Williams, we believe, would be a credible advocate to make a convincing case to key movers and shakers.

In addition, any campaign worth its salt must emphasize the important domestic and foreign missions of YARS personnel and equipment and its record of success. Most recently, the base won approval and $9.4 million to build a state-of-the-art firing range. Late last year, the base got the green light for an intensive modernization of its fleet.

Despite those and other compelling attributes, realists cannot ignore the fact that the U.S. military faces intense pressure to downsize. With that in mind, we’re confident the commission will draft and execute a battle plan that virtually guarantees preservation of one of this region’s greatest resources for national defense, domestic security and economic vitality for the Valley.