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| Joint Strike Fighter |
January 16, 2008 |
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Dear Friends,
Last fall, the Air Force released a list of bases where they intended to conduct initial environmental assessments for the eventual location of the next generation fighter aircraft -- the Joint Strike Fighter or F-35 Lightning. It was the kind of routine bureaucratic announcement that never makes the papers. But it was a big red flag to me. Kirtland was not on the list.
The New Mexico Air Guard flies the F-16 out of Kirtland. The 150th Tactical Fighter Wing, long known as the "Tacos," will lose that aircraft when it is retired from the Air Force inventory within the next decade. With fewer aircraft in the Air Force, what would be the future of the New Mexico Guard if the Air Force didn't plan to put the follow-on Joint Strike Fighter at Kirtland?
In September we started pushing the Air Force to give us the plan for the New Mexico Air Guard. At first, we got some fancy footwork that wasn't very reassuring. We continued to politely push. After all, New Mexico has great airspace to train in and Kirtland is a cost effective arrangement for the Air Guard.
Earlier this week we got good news from the Air Force:
Kirtland is being added to the list of bases that will be assessed for the Joint Strike Fighter and the next generation Combat Search and Rescue helicopter, the CSAR-X.
Long term, this is great news for Kirtland. Keeping the missions strong is a key element to keeping the base open for the long term.
With more Unarmed Aerial Vehicles coming to Cannon Air Force Base in Clovis to support the Air Force Special Operations mission and the F-22 at Holloman Air Force Base in Alamogordo, the future of the Air Force in New Mexico looks strong.
Wish you were here,
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