Texas Insider Report: WASHINGTON D.C. Today U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee led a letter signed by all members of the Texas congressional delegation to Department of Defense Secretary Leon Panetta opposing the U.S. Air Forces proposal to move eight C-130 aircraft of the 136th Airlift Wing from Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth to Montana:
The loss of the Wings C-130s would remove a powerful airlift asset that in the past has saved the lives of citizens along the Gulf Coast who have found themselves in harms way.
We are troubled that the Air Force has neither responded to our letter nor provided any additional insight behind the strategy for this proposed move during congressional hearings" wrote the members.
The delegation previously expressed their opposition to the proposed move in a letter to Air Force Secretary Michael Donley but has yet to receive a formal response from the Air Force. Todays letter to Sec. Panetta was also signed by all 34 members of the Texas congressional delegation.
Below is the full text of the letter:
The Honorable Leon E. Panetta
Secretary of Defense
1000 Defense Pentagon
Washington DC 20301-1000
Dear Secretary Panetta:
We strongly oppose the Air Forces proposal to uproot from Fort Worth the well-established and world-class military airlift capability of the 136th Airlift Wing and we write to ask for your personal attention to ensure this proposal is not executed. The Air Force plan to take away the Wings eight C-130H2 aircraft will burden taxpayers with unnecessary costs and negatively impact mission readiness. We remain troubled by the Air Forces lack of justification for this proposed action and the fact that no business-case analysis was conducted prior to the decision being made. More broadly we have serious concerns about the unequal and unjustified cuts the Air Force proposes to make to the entire Air National Guard as part of the FY13 budget request.
The 136th Airlift Wing as one of the most capable and experienced airlift organizations in the entire Air Force has a proven record of performance in both overseas and domestic missions. It is a significant asset to the nation in support of global military operations. Since 9/11 the unit has conducted 6536 combat and 1321 combat support sorties during deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. In state and regional hurricane and other emergency responses the 136th Airlift Wing has proven its worth time and time again. The loss of the Wings C-130s would remove a powerful airlift asset that in the past has saved the lives of citizens along the Gulf Coast who have found themselves in harms way. In addition prior to 9/11 the wing conducted successful operations in the Balkans Somalia Haiti Iraq Kuwait and Panama. All the while the Wing has maintained one of the best safety records in the Air Force executing over 176000 flying hours without a major accident.
On February 21st 2012 the 34-member Texas congressional delegation sent a letter to Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley expressing its united opposition to the Air Force plan. While our delegation has yet to receive an official response Secretary Donley and Air Force Chief of Staff General Norton Schwartz have appeared numerous times in recent weeks before House and Senate committees of jurisdiction and attempted to defend their plan. We are troubled that the Air Force has neither responded to our letter nor provided any additional insight behind the strategy for this proposed move during congressional hearings.
In order to address the problem that has been created by this unacceptable Air Force proposal we ask you to consider a win-win solution that we have formulated. The basis for our proposal is our concern that the Air Forces FY13 budget request is inconsistent with the new defense strategic guidance that you issued in January. Your strategic guidance outlined in the document Sustaining U.S. Global Leadership: Priorities for 21st Century Defense" declares that a strategic opportunity to rebalance the U.S. military investment in Europe" has been created and that in keeping with this evolving strategic landscape our posture in Europe must also evolve". It goes on to say that whenever possible we will develop innovative low-cost and small-footprint approaches to achieve our security objectives relying on exercises rotational presence and advisory capabilities". The U.S. Army received this guidance loud and clear and has begun to aggressively implement it adjusting its force posture in Europe by decreasing its permanent footprint by two heavy brigades and instead establishing a new rotational presence.
In contrast the Air Force has failed to explain how it plans to adjust its C-130 force posture in Europe in order to comply with your guidance. The Air Force under the umbrella of United States Air Forces in Europe continues to base 14 C-130Js at Ramstein Air Base Germany. Under the latest budget the Air Force has no plans to adjust the force posture for these aircraft. Permanent basing of these aircraft in Europe is wholly inconsistent with the small-footprint approach" and clear preference for rotational presence" as stated in your strategic guidance.
Therefore we request the reassignment and transfer of these 14 C-130Js to the Texas Air National Guards 136th Airlift Wing at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth which would represent a win-win for the warfighter the citizens of the Gulf States and other American taxpayers. The Texas Air National Guard has proven their willingness and ability to forward deploy aircraft on a rotational basis to Europe or any other location in the world. At the same time this solution would save the Air Force money and assist it in complying with your new strategic guidance.
In addition although we disagree on many aspects of the Air Forces proposal we fully support its decision to permanently base a fleet of MC-12W Liberty manned ISR aircraft in Texas. These aircraft can provide a critical tool in support of border security and Defense Support of Civil Authorities missions. There are several Texas installations in close proximity to the border that already have adequate basing capacity including Ellington Field in Houston which currently executes both Predator and RC-26 ISR missions. However the MC-12 basing in Texas must not come at the expense of the C-130s which are of critical importance.
We appreciate your prompt attention to the concerns we have raised and your consideration of this proposed solution. Thank you for your service to our men and women in uniform and our nation.
/s/
