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Oceana will be looked at again. I live in VA Beach, and yes it will be a hit to the economy, but with the recent crash and encroachment issues I don't see it making it through another round of BRAC. I didn't realize there was another round of BRAC though.
i see that and their squadrons being split up between the Marine Air Stations in NC and SC. I could see MCRD San Diego going away, due to the fact it being prime real estate in the middle of the city (shares a fence line with the airport, right by Old Town San Diego, right up the road from the stadium where Will Ferrell filmed Semi-Pro, and also contains waterfront property with access to the harbor). Also, they bus the recruits up to Camp Pendleton for all of their field training. MCRD is basically just where they drill, go to classes and sleep. The location isn't integral to anything that goes on there.
What may save it is the fact the Coast Guard is co-located and the incredible amount of political capital the Marine Corps has. The last Marine Corps BRAC closure that I can recall was El Toro, but even then it shut down Naval Air Station Miramar and consolidated El Toro with Tustin creating MCAS Miramar.
Hanscom has escaped the axe in the past due to Ted Kennedy. Having a powerful Senator in your corner will be a tremendous advantage. With Ted gone, the powers that be have already started to do all they can to beef up Hanscom and spare it from the hit list. They have recently added an Army National Guard unit with it's own brand new multi-million dollar facility. They recently re-organized the installation as well, so at worst they may take a hit in realignment but probably not a full closure.
The problem with Hanscom is that the overall mission at the base can be carried out from Wright-Patterson. Then again, there are a lot of bases which can be closed on that premise alone. I still think whoever has the bit power elite Senator's are going to be spared. Look at Arizona. Do they need both Luke and Davis-Monthan? Do they need a Marine base in Yuma when you have one in the California desert already? Probably not, but no way any of them are in danger while McCain is still in office.
Hanscom has escaped the axe in the past due to Ted Kennedy. Having a powerful Senator in your corner will be a tremendous advantage. With Ted gone, the powers that be have already started to do all they can to beef up Hanscom and spare it from the hit list. They have recently added an Army National Guard unit with it's own brand new multi-million dollar facility. They recently re-organized the installation as well, so at worst they may take a hit in realignment but probably not a full closure.
The problem with Hanscom is that the overall mission at the base can be carried out from Wright-Patterson. Then again, there are a lot of bases which can be closed on that premise alone. I still think whoever has the bit power elite Senator's are going to be spared. Look at Arizona. Do they need both Luke and Davis-Monthan? Do they need a Marine base in Yuma when you have one in the California desert already? Probably not, but no way any of them are in danger while McCain is still in office.
Trust, me no one wants to be in Yuma with the Yuma Yummies. 20 years ago my mom had a t-shirt that said "eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow you may be Yuma" and nothing has changed 2 decades later in my time in the Corps.
That said, Yuma is an air base, while the bases in California you speak of is a ground base so relocating the units there isn't as simple as pick up and move. That said, that base is the only option to relocate to due to the area needed for WTI and other courses offered by Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One (MAWTS-1) located there.
Good info, I would add Beale AFB CA and Elgin AFB FL to that list. There seems to be a lot of political clout in the northeast, and I have a feelin that it will keep Hanscom from closing. But hey, who knows.
Agree, Beale would be a good choice but looks like the TR-1 has a new lease on life. Global Hawk was cancelled. Doubt Eglin will even be considered. Tyndall is a possibility, but that Gulf training range is just too valuable and what are the alternatives to basing the F-22 & F-35. Eglin is a gold mine for jobs while Tyndall is an old tacky and dated base.
Having spent many years in the AF, and being familiar with most of the bases and missions, the following could be likely candidates, as their missions could easily be incorporated into similar CONUS bases:
Cannon AFB, NM (high field elevation limits aircraft takeoff performance)
Beale AFB, CA (just not enough going on there to justify keeping it open)
Ellsworth AFB, SD (Move all Bones to Dyess)
Vance AFB, OK (There will be excess pilot training capacity in a few years)
Laughlin AFB, TX (either Vance or Laughlin could be closed, but not both)
Goodfellow AFB, TX (why have an AF base without a runway?? Easy to move the mission elsewhere)
Moody AFB, GA (just a gut feeling)
Grand Forks AFB, ND (was supposed to have been closed in the last BRAC, but didn't happen)
Arnold AFB, TN (another base with no runway; research function could move to Edwards, Eglin, or Wright-Patterson)
I think the above noted bases are all logical choices; but, then again, who ever accused a BRAC of using air-tight logic??? lol
Some folks mentioned Eglin, Sheppard and Keesler. None of those bases will ever close. Eglin is a huge research center with way too much infrastructure to move elsewhere. Sheppard and Keesler are the AF's technical training centers, again with too much infrastructure to easily consolidate.
Get serious... My Cessna 150H could even handle that...
Ummmm... I am serious. Do some research and report back.
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