Friday, May 13, 2005 | 11:05 a.m.
WASHINGTON -- Nellis Air Force Base stands to gain about 1,400 military and civilian workers under the Pentagon's plan to close and realign military bases while Hawthorne Army Depot in Mineral County is on the list to be closed.
Changes at the Reno-Tahoe International Airport Air Guard Station are expected to affect 263 jobs and the Naval Air Station in Fallon may lose seven people under the Pentagon recommendations issued today.
The Defense Department recommended closing about 180 military installations. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said the overall recommendations will save $48.8 billion over 20 years.
Nellis will gain 1,149 members of the military and 263 civilian workers, whose jobs will be transferred.
Nellis will gain seven F-16 aircraft from Cannon Air Force in Utah, 18 additional F-16 aircraft from Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska and nine F-15 aircraft from Lambert St. Louis International Airport Air Guard Station in Missouri. The base will also gain the 422nd Fighter Wing Headquarters from New Orleans and nine F-15Cs and five F-16s from the Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho.
A summary of the recommendation said the Air Force distributed the F-16s to Nellis as a "base with high military value."
Also under the recommendation, Nellis will distribute seven F-16 Block 32 aircraft and relocate some engine maintenance work to Hill Air Force Base in Utah.
Nellis spokesman Capt. Steven Rolenc said the recommended increase in personnel is a significant hike over the 100-person increase recommended during the last round of the base realignments and closures in 1995.
"Throughout the entire Air Force, we strive to provide the right information -- the accurate data -- to the DOD (Department of Defense) so that a fair decision is made on the BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure) recommendations," Rolenc said.
"These recommendations today are in line with our vision of growth at Nellis and Indian Springs. But these are just recommendations."
Rolenc said the recommendation will make Nellis "more efficient and improve our combat capabilities," though he said he did not immediately know to what particular departments the new personnel would go.
"We play a very important mission in the defense of our country," he said. "This recommendation will allow us to increase our combat capability and improve training, testing, development and operations."
Currently Nellis has more than 10,000 people working on base, including military, guard and reserve and civilians, Rolenc said.
Asked if the accommodations exist on base for the estimated 14 percent increase in personnel, Rolenc said, "we would not have made our recommendations if we could not absorb these numbers."
Among Nellis' current missions, Rolenc said, is conducting the final phase of testing for the F/A-22 Raptor, flying predator operations out of Nellis, serving as the home of Red Flag training and operating the weapons school.
If the Hawthorne depot, a munitions facility, closes it will affect an estimated 326 jobs. The depot, about 300 miles northwest of Las Vegas and 25 miles from the California border, claims to be the "World's Largest Depot" and is the largest industrial site in Nevada.
The Pentagon wants to move the depot's storage and demilitarization functions to Tooele Army Depot in Utah to "reduce redundancy and remove excess." A Defense Department summary of the proposed closures said Hawthorne has infrastructure problems and said the closure could save $777 million over 20 years.
Robert Bryant, chairman of the Mineral County Commission, said the potential closure would be "rather devastating."
He estimated 500 people work at the base. According to the 2000 Census, the population of Mineral County was 5,071.
Bryant said the government has the responsibility to assist in economic development if the base is closed. He said it could be turned over to the county. But he questioned how the county could promote the 2,500-acre site covered with concrete igloos that currently house ammunition. He said the county could appeal to Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., and the congressional delegation.
"We will see how strong our delegation is," he said. The base closure could affect the operation of the hospital and the schools, he said. "If nothing is going to replace it, it will be rather devastating." Andrew List, executive director of the Nevada Association of Counties, also said the closure of the base at Hawthorne would be "devastating" to Mineral County.
For Reno-Tahoe International Airport Air Guard Station, the Pentagon recommends, moving eight C-130H aircraft of the 152 Airlift Wing to Little Rock Air Force Base in Arkansas, according to a summary of the recommendations. Combat support units will move to two stations in California.
The Pentagon said that "because of limitations to land and ramp space, Reno was unable to expand beyond 10 C-130s." The Little Rock, Ark. base has more space and can allow active duty and Air National Guard members to use the aircraft, according to the summary. The action could save $22 million over the next 20 years.
There have been four prior rounds of base closure and realignment since 1988, with the last one taking place in 1995. The department has closed 97 major bases with 55 realignments.
A nine-member commission will now consider the recommendations. Former Nevada congressman Jim Bilbray, a Democrat, serves on the commission. He was recommended by Reid.
The commission must forward its conclusion on the Pentagon's recommendations to the president by Sept. 8, under law. The president has until Sept. 23 to accept or reject the recommendations as a whole. If accepted, Congress has 45 days to reject it or it becomes binding.
Bilbray said he thought the state would get "hit somewhere" and that Hawthorne would be in trouble.
"That's one I will urge the committee to take a close look at," Bilbray said. "I'm usually the guy that fights for Southern Nevada but now it looks like I'll have to fight for Central Nevada."
Bilbray said five commissioners must approve a change to the Pentagon's recommendations to close a site. Seven commissioners must approve adding a site to the list.
"The economic impact of this would be devastating," Bilbray said. "It's the first few nails in the coffin for the community."
Bilbray said all the members of the commission will have knowledge of specific facilities they will likely urge the other members to look at, but they may disagree.
Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., said he was "disappointed" in the department's decisions to close the Hawthorne Depot and realign the Reno Air National Guard Station but "pleased" with its commitment to Nellis.
"Make no mistake, the BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure) Commission will certainly hear from me, NMAC (Nevada Military Advocacy Commission) and the citizens of Reno, Sparks, and Hawthorne as to the importance of keeping the C-130s at the Reno-Tahoe Air National Guard Station and the Army Depot up and running in Nevada," Gibbons said in a written statement.
Gibbons, a former Air Force pilot, created the Nevada Military Advocacy Commission to focus on the state's military facilities.
Gibbons said the depot's closure will have a "considerable adverse impact" on Hawthorne and surrounding communities. He said the reprocessing facilities at the depot make it "uniquely" equipped to recycle and reprocess metals from used ordnance.
He also said the C-130s at the Reno National Guard have played a critical role in airlift support, as well as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions.
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., was traveling and unavailable for comment this morning. Reid supports the BRAC review system and "gives a lot of weight to what the Pentagon has to say," Reid spokeswoman Tessa Hafen said. But Reid also is "very concerned" about some of the recommendations, including the one to close Hawthorne, she said.
Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., today did not have an immediate position on whether he would support the Pentagon recommendation on Hawthorne, Ensign spokesman Jack Finn said. He's carefully reviewing the report, Finn said.
"As a member of the Armed Services Committee, I am committed to making sure our military has the training and resources it needs while we continue to be good stewards of the taxpayers' money," Ensign said in a written statement.
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