States Fight Closings of Air National Guard Bases

Published: Aug 30, 2005
Source: www.washingtonpost.com



National Guard officials yesterday tentatively welcomed a decision by an independent base-closure commission to scale back the Pentagon's plan to consolidate Air National Guard bases around the country but said serious problems remain that are likely to lead more states to file lawsuits disputing the plan.

Connecticut yesterday joined three other states -- Pennsylvania, Illinois and Tennessee -- in challenging the Pentagon's authority to shutter Air National Guard bases or strip them of aircraft. Connecticut filed a lawsuit that is also directed against the commission, seeking a court order to block it from sending its base recommendation to the president.

"They got it wrong, and we're going to fight it," Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell (R) said yesterday after the commission voted Friday to uphold the Pentagon's proposal to remove all 17 of the A-10 attack aircraft from the 103rd Fighter Wing at Bradley Air National Guard Base. Rell said the decision would mean "effectively closing" the base and would leave Connecticut as the only state with no Air National Guard flying mission.continue..