By Jim Cardle President & CEO of Texas Citizen Action Network
Published: 09-04-08
As federal legislators head back to Washington following their summer recess an issue is simmering in Congress that wraps together both national defense and the economy and throws in the greater good of the Lone Star State as added seasoning.
The issue is the military transport airplane known as the Globemaster III or more alpha-numerically the C-17. The Air Force took delivery of the first of these cargo carrying monsters 15 years ago. Since then they have become “the workhorse of the airlift force” in the words of former Defense Secretary William Cohen.
But current Pentagon leadership is proposing to effectively end the C-17 program and with it thousands of jobs and more than a billion dollars in economic benefit for Texas.
Unless the Air Force decides to order additional C-17s suppliers will begin going out of business this year factory doors will close and the assembly line will slow to a halt.
The irony is that despite its stellar record and a growing requirement for airlift capability the C-17 program is caught somewhere between Iraq and a home place. By that I mean that the Globemaster III has proven itself time and again not simply as a military transport but as urgently needed salvation for civilians caught in desperate situations.
Most Texans remember Tropical Storm Alice. In June of 2001 Alice dumped more than 10 inches of rain in the southeast portions of the state. The final toll was more than 20 people dead and billions of dollars in damage. The cost might have been higher if it hadn’t been for a gaggle of C-17s ferrying a steady stream of relief workers and supplies into Houston in the days following the storm.
The C-17’s ability to airlift enormous quantities of cargo to less than pristine airfields has made it a valuable part of civilian relief efforts around the world. From Houston and New Orleans to Central America and Pakistan C-17s deliver supplies and carry victims out to safety.
Just this month (Note: August) C-17s were in the vanguard as more than 1 million pounds of humanitarian relief supplies were delivered to Georgia after parts of that country were overrun by Russian troops.
Along with the C-17’s defense and humanitarian credentials Texans can be equally pleased about the benefits each aircraft brings to our state before it ever leaves the ground. The Globemaster program supports more than 3300 jobs here and has a total economic impact on the state of nearly $1.5 billion. In today’s tough economic climate those are big numbers even by Texas standards.
A year ago members of the Texas Congressional delegation joined with their colleagues from other states seeking to ensure the continuation of the program. They inserted a provision into a defense authorization bill requiring the military to buy 10 more C-17s.
Despite their efforts the future of the C-17 program remains uncertain. While the Air Force moves fitfully through the acquisition of a new fleet of aerial tankers its commitment to cargo carriers remains – pardon the pun – up in the air.
On solid ground however is the positive effect the C-17 has had – and will continue to have – on The Lone Star State. And that’s why for the good of Texas as well as the nation the C-17 program needs to continue.
James B. Cardle is President & CEO of the Texas Citizen Action Network a dynamic community of Texas leaders who develop ideas brainstorm solutions & acquire the skills necessary to impact the public policy decision making process in Texas. He can be reached by visiting www.CitizenActionNetwork.com or by e-mailing him at lessgovt@austin.rr.com
