The Oklahoma Update; Tinker Depths

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chop block. This morning we take an in-depth look at one of Tinker's competitors, Kelly Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. Paul Robertson is heading a civilian task force that's rallying on Kelly's behalf. Robertson says there are several things that should give the San Antonio Air Logistics Center an edge over other bases that are fighting to stay open. Well we think that that Kelly will compete well when you take a look at cost of operation, quality of the work that the workforce produces, productivity, kind of all of the measures that the commission will use when it looks at the military value of the base. In addition, we believe that Kelly does some unique work with regard to that in support of strategic airlift and some of the frontline fighters of the Air Force in terms of its engine maintenance. In addition, Robertson says Kelly Air Force Base has a proven track record in times of military intervention.

We've been one of the key bases in support of contingency operations all the way back. I mean in the recent history and just cause down to Panama, certainly in desert shield, desert storm, in terms of the amount of air lift that came out of Kelly particularly in the area of munitions is really a pretty astounding. And then in recent contingencies also, yes, we've got a very strong background with regard to mobilization contingency operations. None of the five cities facing closure wants to think about the possibility of being on the Defense Department's hit list, but Robertson admits it's something that's been considered and he says it scares a lot of people in the San Antonio area. Well it would be rather dramatic in terms of the impact it would have in our economy. It would, it would, it would severely impact particularly the south part of San Antonio in terms of unemployment, average income, the impact on the economy would be pretty devastating.

It's extremely important to the city. For now, Robertson says he's remaining confident and he says he'll stay that way until the closure list is released in March. Several of the air logistics centers and that certainly includes tinkers are really first-class world, really world-class operations and it would be an absolute shame and I think, you know, really unfortunate for the taxpayers if either Kelly or tinkers should have to be closed. This is depth piece number two talking about Hill Air Force Base. It's coming in three, two, and it won. Good morning for the Oklahoma update, I'm Mark Woodward. Just over three months, the Pentagon will release its 1995 base closure list.

Tinker Air Force Base in Midwest City is one of five air logistics centers being considered for that list. This morning we'd take a look at Hill Air Force Base, which is competing along with Tinker to stay open. Mike Pavidge heads a civilian group called Hill 95. Pavidge is confident the Ogden Utah Air Force Base will survive the 1995 round of closings. The 1993 base closure commission said that when they were looking at air logistics centers, the strategic and military value of Hill Air Force Base was so high that they did not even consider it with the other air logistics centers and did not add it to the list as they did the other air logistics centers when they were comparing with Sacramento Air Logistics Center. When we talked to the Under Secretary of the Air Force just about three weeks ago out here, he said nothing has changed from 1993. So we feel like the military value of Hill Air Force Base is still recognized both in

the Air Force and in the base closure commission. One thing that makes Hill Air Force Base attractive, according to Pavidge, is its longstanding role in military intervention. That's one of the real significant issues. It has the kinds of hot pads and loading capabilities and storage capabilities and transportation systems to bring munitions in and funnel them through to a combat theater like Desert Storm. Same sort of thing happened during the Arab-Israeli war when many Israeli commercial airliners were funneling through Hill Air Force Base, taking munitions to that part of the world. If indeed the Pentagon targets Hill Air Force Base for closure, it would send shockwaves throughout Utah's economy, according to Pavidge. It would have a devastating impact on the economy. You don't take somewhere between $1.9 and $2.3 billion out of the economy, a state that

has 1.7 million people. It would be a devastating impact on the Utah economy, as all the air logistics centers would. While all five air logistics centers are hoping to avoid the closure list, which is due out in March, Pavidge says Hill Air Force Base has been an advocate of keeping all five centers operational. What the Department of Defense needs to do is it needs to downsize its depot maintenance infrastructure into the largest, most capable facilities and infrastructure, and those are the five air logistics centers. We tried to pull the governors from the five states together. We did meet with all of the community groups from the five states and representatives from some of the governors to try and make that point as a united group. We weren't quite able to pull that off because some states have both Air Force and

Navy or Air Force and Army or Air Force and Marine Corps depots in them, but we did basically get agreement from the five community groups working on the issue that we could agree on that one thing that the five air logistics centers should be retained over any of the other depots in the Department of Defense. This is the third death testing coming in 3-2 and on Warner Robbins Air Force Base. This is the depth on Warner Robbins take 94, 3-2, and 1. Good morning for the Oklahoma update, I'm Mark Woodward. This is Warner Robbins take 59, 1. Good morning, I'm Mark Woodward with the Oklahoma update. There are five major cities that could sink or swim, depending on what the Defense Department

does next March regarding air logistics centers. Tinker is one of five being considered for the 1995 base closure list. This morning we continue our series which looks at centers competing with Tinker. Buck Hale is a retired Air Force colonel heading the 21st century partnership in Macon, Georgia. Hale's group is leading efforts to keep the Warner Robbins Air Force Base doors open and he's confident that will happen. Warner Robbins is very unique. It is the home of the C-141, the strategic air lifter and we all know how important that is. All the small tariffs that we have around the world, the way that the airplane is over, of course. But the way they fixed it, the efficiency is the positive improvements that the people have come up with two in time. We've got the airplane back on its feet and just recently we were acknowledged by the

chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff as doing an outstanding job. Also giving Warner Robbins an edge is its location and past military history according to Hale. During the Gauntler War we were pointing to Parker, Airborne and everything else and we stepped through here somewhere 250 C-141s. We packed them up here, loaded them up and sent them on their way and also our tanker force and turned on fighters around. Could the area surrounding Warner Robbins Air Force Base survive if the Air Logistics Center was cut? Hale says it would be unlikely. Warner Robbins is unique, they built the depot back in the 40s for the war effort and the city of Warner Robbins grew out as a bedroom community for people to work on the base. There was no town here to start with so this town of Warner Robbins was built to support

the base that's needs for workers and out of that the technical contractors have come here, placed their businesses here, again to support the base. If the base wasn't here, the depot center wasn't here, there would be no need for the contractors to be here. So for now Hale says his group, the 21st Century Partnership will continue to promote Warner Robbins and hope the Base Closure Commission is listening. We're talking to state and national political leaders. We're trying to work with the base as a tanker probably is to ask the commanders, what do you need? What kind of industry do you need outside the gate that maybe you don't have to go to one of the other states that's along the way away to produce, to help you so you can become more efficient.

You can start working on the judgment time method of producing. We're asking those questions. Some of those things are too difficult because of the contractual way that the government has to be business but we're trying to make the selection of subcontractors to the base more easily obtainable. All right, this is coming in three, two and one. Good morning for the one. Good morning for the Oklahoma update on Mark Woodward. As the clock ticks for the base closure and realignment commission to decide which military installations to do away with, those facilities are doing what they can to promote the importance of keeping their doors open. Tinker Air Force Base in Midwest City is home to one of five air logistics centers around the nation the Pentagon is considering for the closure list.

This morning we take a look at McClellan Air Force Base in Sacramento, California, which is among those competing with Tinker to stay open. Tom Errors is CEO of the Sacramento Chamber of Commerce. He's also heading a civilian task force rallying on behalf of McClellan. Errors says the military has always relied on McClellan's technology and he doubts they could afford to lose it. We think the United States Air Force over time in all five of its Air Force logistic centers and depots has tried to make them each centers of excellence for particular technologies particularly workload and that sort of thing. And ultimately how the forces structured in the future will then determine what sort of technologies are necessary to sustain that force. We feel that the force of the future will continue to be a very high technology force and that the 16 technologies we call the unique technologies at McClellan will continue to be required in necessary fielding any kind of a force in the future and that's its strength.

So giving McClellan an edge according to Errors is McClellan's history of service to the military and times of conflict. During the Persian Gulf War, Errors says McClellan was seen as one of the most important stateside bases. If McClellan is the base, the Pentagon decides to target for closure. Errors says the surrounding economy could survive, but it would suffer. Oh, I think in terms of the value of McClellan to the area, it's certainly a part of the high technology base of the valley. It puts in well over 500 million to $600 million in payroll into the area, certainly with its employment base, civilian as well as uniforms puts it as one of the larger employers in the area to approximately 15 to 16,000 employees. And as far as we're concerned, we think that if given a level playing field, that the

whole will do quite nicely. While Errors has been instrumental in the fight to keep McClellan open, the message he's sending to the Pentagon is that all five air logistics centers should remain open, and the Defense Department should look elsewhere for cuts. I know that's sort of a popular thing to say that the Air Force has done it well and that if you were going to close everybody else but the United States Air Force, well, if you're going to take a reasonable business prudent approach and you're going to level the playing field and just look where, in effect, the investment's been made, where the focus has been over time. We think all five Air Force facilities should come out extremely well in any inter-service competition. This week we've featured Kelly, Warner Robbins, Hill and McClellan Air Force Base. Those facilities, along with Tinker Air Force Base in Midwest City, wait to find out if

they've been selected for the 1995 round of base closings. That list is due out in March. For the Yokohama Update, I'm Mark Woodward.