Military base plan far from resolved

Published: May 03, 2006
Source: aimpoints.hq.af.mil



In the seven months since Congress seemingly set in stone the Base Realignment and Closure Commission's plan to cut the fat out of the nation's military installations, the plan remains mired in legal and political battles that are creating a cascade of change and uncertainty.

The latest change affects the U.S. Air Force's bunkerand tank-busting A-10 jet fighters - the planes nicknamed "Warthogs" for their arguably ugly appearance and toughness - that are planned to replace the Arkansas Air National Guard's 188th Fighter Wing's aging F-16 fighter jet fleet.

In the middle of the BRAC cyclone is the Willow Grove Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base in Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania National Guard's 111th Fighter Wing that calls it home. Willow Grove is scheduled for closure, its Navy and Marine units moving to McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey. The 111th will remain, although initial plans called for it to disband.continue..