CONGRESSMAN COSTA RALLIES SUPPORT FOR FRESNO'S 144th FIGHTER WING
FRESNO, CA - Today, Congressman Jim Costa (CA-20) led abipartisan effort to help retain the only permanently stationed Air NationalGuard fighter unit in California. The air base is the 144th FighterWing, headquartered in Fresno.
Congressman Costa sent aletter to Secretary Rumsfeld stressing the necessary and important role the 144thFighter Wing plays not only in the Valley, but also in California. Costa's letter was also signed by Valley Congressmen Devin Nunes (CA-21)and George Radanovich (CA-19).
The text of the letter follows.
Dear Secretary Rumsfeld:
We are writing to urge that the 144th Fighter Wing stationed atthe City of Fresno airport not be included in the 2005 round ofBase Realignment and Closure ("BRAC").
The 144th Fighter Wing is a key componentof California'shomeland defense. The 144th Fighter Wing is the onlypermanently stationed Air National Guard fighter unit in California. It maintains 18 F16 aircraft, and three F16sare on constant alert to provide immediate homeland defense of California.
Effective and timely defense of Californiarequires stationing these aircraft in a centrally located area like Fresno. These interceptors can reach key portions of California within minutes, providing the people of California homelanddefense, air coverage and protection. We believe that moving the 144thFighter Wing would jeopardize the homeland security interests of ourconstituents and the people of California.
Removal of the 144th Fighter Wing wouldalso have a devastating effect on the Central Valley. As you know, President Bush issued ExecutiveOrder 13173 to create an Interagency Task Force on the Economic Development ofthe Central San Joaquin Valley. The Task Force was chartered to coordinatefederal agencies and resources to advance the economic development of the Central San Joaquin Valley. As an appointed member of that Task Force,you can appreciate the economic problems that this area already faces, as theCity of Fresnoand its airport qualify both as Federal Empowerment Zones and CaliforniaEnterprise Zones. The Central Valleyreceives $1900 less per capita than the rest of the United States in federal taxdollars returned to local communities. In 2003, 21.8 percent of the citizens in Fresno Countylived below the poverty level.
The 144th Fighter Wing provides localeconomy with 375 full-time jobs and 627 part-time Air National Guard jobs. Its presence contributes at least $28million dollars in direct and indirect economic value to the Fresno region. This figure is based primarily on payroll anddoes not include the sizable economic value of what the Wing purchases in thelocal community. Loss of this Wing would be a critical blow to our region.
The Central Valley isprobably the ideal location for reservists in the California Air NationalGuard. Reservists can afford to live inthe Central Valley while they cannot afford to live in many other areas of California. The local Wing commander estimates that 85%of his reservists live within 30 minutes of Fresno. Moving the 144th Fighter Wing would likely result, weunderstand, in the loss of 30% of the reservists in the unit, a terrible blowfor a unit providing active Homeland Security.
As you know, many National Guard units are facingshortfalls in recruitment. We understandthat the 144th Fighter Wing is currently leading the entire state ofCalifornia in National Guard recruitment, inpart because of the very favorable attitude of the people in the Fresno area toward militaryservice. Removing the 144thFighter Wing from Fresnowould likely harm future retention rates for the unit.
In addition, the 144th Fighter Wing hasdeveloped joint training missions with Naval and Army aircraft locatednearby. Loss of the Wing from Fresno would underminethat ongoing joint training.
Please note that the Fresno airport complex also hasother multi-service units operating on site, such as the 1106th AviationClassification Repair Activity Depot (AVCRAD), 185th Quartermaster Unit (185thQM Unit), and the 40th Aviation Brigade. The arguments to protect the 144th Fighter Wing applysimilarly with each of these facilities. Their loss would approximately double the economic impact on the localcommunity of losing the 144th Air Wing alone.
Finally, we are told that the Air Force has investednearly $50 million in fixed facilities at the Fresno Airportfor the 144th Wing. Ifrelocated, these facilities and investments will be wasted, and the Departmentwill likely incur additional construction costs associated with new orrefurbished facilities elsewhere. Infact, the Department of Defense's annual cost in payments to the city for thelease of the Wing property at the Fresnoairport is only $56,868 annually.
This low lease obligation, as compared with thepotential relocation costs of tens of millions of dollars, further underlinesthe conclusion that Fresno is an ideal locationfor California'sonly permanent Air National Guard fighter wing.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Congressman Jim Costa
Congressman Devin Nunes
Congressman George Radanovich