Right now it's awfully hot in South Dakota but I'm thinking they're dancing up and down the prairie and across the Black Hills. Ellsworth Air Force Base, one of the state's largest employers, has been saved from a threatened Defense Department closure.
At Betsy's Page she has background on the decision to keep Ellsworth open. Also, some savey thoughts regarding the threatened closure and S.D.'s freshman Republican John Thune. Take a look here.
Saturday, August 27, 2005
Do they dance in South Dakota in August?
Posted by JWM at 9:11 AM
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4 comments:
This is the same comment I made at Betsy's Page.
Sparing Ellsworth is a bad move. The claim that closing the base and moving the "Bones" is a wash is pure politics.
Consider:
1. Ellsworth has been drawing down since we won the Cold War. During the Cold War Ellsworth housed a B-52 wing, with supporting KC-135 tankers; it also housed a Minuteman II missile wing of 150 ICBMs; it also housed a squadron of Airborne Command Control aircraft, which were part of the World-Wide Airborne Command Post System.
2. The missiles are gone; they were removed from their silos and destroyed; the silos themselves had the top 20 feet blown off and were then buried.
3. The KC-135s have been redistributed to other units/commands.
4. The Airborne Command Post aircraft have been retired and the system vastly changed -- for the better.
5. South Dakota winters are harsh; wear and tear on both people and equipment is much worse than in a more temperate climate in, for example, Abilene Texas. Not only that, at least one real, stand down for three days BLIZZARD is almost guaranteed EVERY YEAR.
6. All of the aforementioned equipment -- and manpower -- have been replaced by 19 "Bones." Ellsworth is a shadow of its former self.
7. The major justification for Ellsworth's existence during the Cold War was that it was so far away from both the Soviet ICBM and SLBM threats; that gave it the best warning time to get alert postured aircraft off the ground. Nowadays no "Bones" pull nuclear alert.
Ellsworth is still alive because politics trumped economics, military necessity, and common sense.
Can you dance "up and down" the prarie? I mean, it's totally flat, so where does the up and down part come from?
I think the base closure process is supposed to deliver "better" rather than perfect. So closing 9 useless bases and leaving 3 open is better than closing nada-bupkiss.
-AC
To anonymous who commented at Betsy's Page.
Thank you for a very thoughtful and fact-filled comment.
I don't know enough to agree with or dispute what you say.
My post focused on how the Ellsworth issue related to Sen. John Thune.
I hope you will continue to visit JinC and comment whenever.
Again, thank you.
John
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