Cannon Air Force Base Afb Realignment And F Ef 111 Basing

The action evaluated in this Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is the realignment of Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico. The realignment is the result of the recommendations of the Defense Secretary's Commission on Base Realignment and Closure, from legislative requirements in the Base Realignment and Closure Act (Public Law 100-526), and of U.S. Air Force plans to enhance mission readiness and national security. The realignment of Cannon Air Force Base will involve the transfer of aircraft with the net result that the number of F-111s at the Base will increase by 46 planes. The associated increase in personnel will be from the current level of 3984 to 5723. The numbers of sorties and flying hours are expected to essentially double for a total of 16,500 sorties and 36,000 flying hours per year. All of these flight operations will be at subsonic speeds. In order to maintain operational efficiency and combat readiness under this realignment, on-Base military construction, creation of a new Mount Dora Military Operations Area, continued full use of the Pecos Military Operations Area, increased use of the Melrose Range, increased use of Military Training Routes, and increased aircraft operations at the Base are proposed. Off-Base flight operations will be over low population areas. Provisions of the Act preclude the examination of any alternative actions to realignment. (SDW).

The Commission recommended transfer of assets from George AFB to MHAFB involving 94 F-4E and G electronic combat aircraft and approximately 3,500 personnel. To accommodate the additional aircraft and personnel at MHAFB, the 366th Tactical Fighter Wing (TFW) at MHAFB will transfer 35 F-111A aircraft and approximately 1,600 personnel to other units. This will result in a net increase of 59 aircraft operating from MHAFB. The realignment of MHAFB will enhance command and control of electronic warfare operations by consolidating F-4G electronic combat and surface-to-air suppression functions with EF-111 electronic jamming air defense suppression aircraft (described in Appendix A) and will increase mission effectiveness at a reduced cost. The nature of the missions and combat roles assigned to the F-4s being transferred to MHAFB will require more range time per aircraft than for the departing F-111As. It is expected that the training requirements for the F-4s alone will nearly triple the annual usage of the SCR.

This volume, a preliminary, groundbreaking effort planned and produced within a prescribed period of time, is intended as a reference work offering historical perspective on current basing issues. It examines four critical periods in the history of USAF basing. During the first period, from 1907 through August 1947, expansion of the Army's air force in response to two major wars established a foundation for the current basing network. The second period, September 1947 through 1960, saw a rapid expansion to support the rise of the United States Air Force as the major instrument of strategic deterrence. Radical retrenchment, followed by politically enforced stability, characterized the third period, 1961 to 1987. From1961 through the mid-1970s, base infrastructure contracted steadily in response to changes in military threat, budgetary pressures, and the retirement of obsolete aircraft.From 1977 through 1987, strict interpretations of the National Environmental Policy Act effectively paralyzed basing actions, despite a moderate expansion of the force after 1980. During the fourth period, 1988–2003, the ending of theCold War resulted in a substantial drawdown of force structure. The reality of sharply reduced forces, in combination with budgetary pressures, created a political consensus that permitted base closures and realignments to resume. Through1987, the decision to open or close bases was, at least formally, strictly an executive branch prerogative. Beginning in 1988, the establishment of the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission initiated the formal participation of Congress in basing decisions.The decision to open or close bases during the first three periods — 1907 through August 1947, September 1947 through 1960, and 1961 to 1988— was, at least formally, strictly an executive branch prerogative. During the fourth period,1988–2003, the establishment of the Base Realignment and Closure process initiated formal participation by Congress in basing decisions. In 2003, the Department of Defense began preparing for yet another Base Realignment and Closure Commission Review intended to eliminate unnecessary infrastructure. This study offers the public a historical perspective on BRAC-directed actions by documenting and explaining rationales that have informed the decisions to locate the major operational units and activities within the continental United States, excluding Alaska,during these periods.