Washington
Congressman Doug Lamborn (CO-05) today welcomed the Air Force’s decision to place Peterson AFB on the short list for the headquarters of 24th Air Force (24th AF), a new numbered Air Force focused on protecting our military’s cyber assets.
“For several reasons, Peterson Air Force Base is the ideal location for this new numbered Air Force. Peterson is already headquarters for the Air Force cyber space mission and it makes sense to locate the 24th AF with its mission command. Additionally, Colorado Springs is home to a sophisticated defense contracting community ready to support the cyber mission.
“This honor is the result of an exceptional team effort on the part of Colorado’s congressional delegation and community leaders in the district. As the Air Force moves forward with its review process, I am confident they will see the advantages of locating the 24th AF at Peterson AFB.
“While much work remains to be done in the coming months to secure the 24th AF, I know our team is up to the job.” - Congressman Doug Lamborn (C0-05)
The proposed bases (in alphabetical order) are Barksdale Air Force Base, La.; Lackland AFB, Texas; Langley AFB, Va.; Offutt AFB, Neb.; Peterson AFB, Colo.; and Scott AFB, Ill.
In selecting a base from among the six candidate bases, Air Force officials will consider cyber Numbered Air Force mission synergy (including proximity to other cyber operational missions and access to scientific and technical expertise), and communication/bandwidth capabilities. Other evaluation criteria include facilities and infrastructure, support capacity, security and transportation/access. The Air Force applied the two most important evaluation criteria (cyber NAF mission synergy and communication/bandwidth capabilities) to provide the final candidate basing list above.
The Air Force intends to make a final base selection no later than the end of June 2009.
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