Funding for firing range at Air Reserve base vital

The $9.4 million for a new indoor firing range for the Youngstown Air Reserve Station is a drop in the bucket of the $612 billion defense-spending bill that’s now on President Barack Obama’s desk.

Indeed, the money for such an important project is a pittance when viewed against the backdrop of the overall federal budget.

We make that point because we believe Ohio’s two senators and the Mahoning Valley’s two representatives have the expertise and influence to find another way of securing the money should the president reject the sweeping defense policy bill, and it gets bogged down on Capitol Hill.

Obama warned last month that he would veto the measure if the GOP- controlled Congress increased defense spending by padding a war-fighting account, but failed to boost funding for domestic agencies, too.

The legislation on the president’s desk contains all the money the administration had requested but also pads a war-fighting account with an extra $38 billion.

Ohio Sens. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, and Rob Portman, a Republican, and congressmen Tim Ryan of Howland, D-13th, and Bill Johnson of Marietta, R-6th, have been unwavering in their support of the $9.4 million for the indoor firing range, in particular, and the air reserve station, in general.

The National Defense Authorization Act, as it is formally called, passed the Senate on a 70-27 vote, and the House, 269-151. If a veto is sustained, Congress would be forced to revise the bill or try to settle the larger budget dispute.

The president’s threat brought differing reactions from the two U.S. senators. Portman urged the president to reconsider his veto threat, while Brown pointed out that Obama had made it clear he would not accept a bill that contained budgetary tricks.

“If President vetoes the National Defense Authorization Act, I hope my colleagues will find a responsible way to fund the Defense Department, along with domestic agencies that keep us safe at home,” the said.

Parochial interest

We share Brown’s hope that the GOP leadership in Congress finds a way of breaking the impasse with the White House. Granted, our interest is parochial. We remain firmly committed to ensuring that the Youngstown Air Reserve Station, which is home to the 910th Airlift Wing, and Marine Corps and Navy reserve units, remains viable and vital to the nation’s military.

The proposed firing range isn’t just about upgrading the air base in Vienna Township. 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 instruction to thousands of military personnel.

The $9.4 million appropriation is another in a long list of federal government investments in the facility. That’s important because when the Base Realignment and Closings commission conducts another review of military installations with the goal of reducing defense spending, it will work in YARS’ favor if it can be shown that the Pentagon’s support is proof of the base’s importance.

The firing range is not just an asset for the facility. Plans calls for its use to be shared with civilian law-enforcement agencies throughout the region.

There should be no doubt about the importance of the Youngstown Air Reserve Station to the economy of the Mahoning Valley. There are more than 1,500 military and civilian personnel on the payroll, while the base has a $100 million impact on Valley commerce.

As such, approval of the firing range funding is a win-win proposition for the livelihood, security and vitality of our nation and our region.

In a statement after the Senate passed the defense-spending bill, Portman noted that the air reserve station has become a model for other such facilities, and that upgrading the firing range will allow it to “maintain this level of high performance.”

Our sentiments, exactly.