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| Wilson: Bill Protects New Mexico’s Bases |
May 06, 2004 |
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BRAC Criteria and Delay, Kirtland Construction
Approved by House Subcommittee
Washington, DC – Congresswoman Heather Wilson, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, today said that this year’s House Defense Authorization bill will help protect New Mexico’s bases from closure by including research, development and testing in the criteria.
Wilson’s BRAC Criteria Gets Stamp of Approval
The House Readiness Subcommittee today passed Congresswoman Heather Wilson’s improvements to the criteria for Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission currently scheduled to begin in 2005.
Wilson, who opposes BRAC, introduced the measure to add priorities that were missing from the Defense Department’s criteria. Today, the House Readiness Subcommittee included the improvements in the FY05 Defense Authorization bill, now moving toward the House floor.
“The criteria talks about current operations and training but completely ignores the need to have research, development and testing facilities for the next generation of weapons systems,” said Wilson, a member of the House Armed Services Committee and the Readiness Subcommittee.
The next Base Closure Commission would be required to use the following additional BRAC criteria:
Recognizing research development and testing as part of military value
Identifying range testing facilities as part of military value
Make cost savings calculations for the federal budget, not just the DoD budget
Include the surge requirement as enacted by law
Wilson has opposed BRAC on every vote, but Congress approved the 2005 round in 2001. Wilson voted against the Defense Authorization legislation in 2001 because of the BRAC language that was included.
“If the Senate includes comparable language, the case for missions at Kirtland would be strengthened,” said Col. Charles Thomas, former Base Commander and former chairman of the Kirtland Partnership Committee.
The House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness also passed language that would delay BRAC by two years. This would require DoD to conduct a six month study on, amongst other things, global basing needs, basing infrastructure for transformation and surge requirements. The results of this study would then be delivered to Congress in 2005 for an 18 month review after which Congress would make recommendations as to the future of BRAC.
“Our force size is increasing and it would be prudent to delay the 2005 round,” Wilson said
Kirtland Air Force Base
The Readiness Subcommittee approved the top priority military construction project at Kirtland Air Force Base that will continue to strengthen the facility’s value to the U.S. Air Force. He bill authorizes $9.2 million for military construction of a Corrosion Control Facility at KAFB. The project was not in the President’s budget.
“Military construction at Kirtland Air Force Base creates jobs and keeps the base in good shape,” Wilson said.
The project at KAFB includes construction of a modern corrosion control/painting facility, complete with an aircraft paint bay, a support equipment preparation bay and paint booth, a paint mixing room, a composite repair room and a plastic media blasting room. The facility supports current operations and the bed-down of the CV-22 Osprey.
In the six years since she was elected to Congress, Wilson has made infrastructure improvements at Kirtland a priority as an important part of preparing for base realignment and closure. The Congress has added over $100 million in military construction projects at Kirtland in the past six years, in addition to authorizing $173 million of private investment in housing at the base.
“When combined with Sandia’s MESA project, Kirtland is one of the largest construction sites in the Air Force,” Wilson said. “When the Pentagon makes recommendations about what real estate to keep and what to close, we want Kirtland to be a ‘keeper.’”
In the six years from FY99 through FY04, Wilson has led efforts for the following Congressionally-designated construction funding at Kirtland:
New housing to be ready by Summer 04
1079 housing units on approximately 370 acres AF land
$173 million to ABQ and KAFB over life of the project w/ Hunt Building Co., El Paso, TX
FY 04
$6.957 million for an arsenic treatment facility
$4.15 million electrical power switching station
FY 03
$8.4 million for a Visiting Officer/Airman Quarters at KAFB
$11 million to upgrade the munitions storage complex at KAFB
$2.5 million for the relocation of the Truman Gate at KAFB
FY 02
$4.3 million to construct a New Small Arms Range and Support Facility
FY 01
$7.35 million for Fire Crash and Rescue Station
$7.35 million for Phase II of the Runways
$7.35 million for Telescope and Compensation Lab
FY 00
$14 million for Phase I of the Runways
FY 99
$1.77 million for Fire Training Facility
$1.5 million for Gibson Gate
$6.8 million Nuclear weapons Int. Facility
In addition to $9.2 million for Kirtland Air Force Base for FY 05, HASC authorized $64 million in military construction for White Sands Missile Range (WSMR):
$33 million to construct the Electromagnetic Vulnerability Assessment Facility.
$31 million to construct 156 units of family housing.
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