Rep. Boozman Votes to Affirm BRAC Commission Decision to Send A-10's to Fort Smith

Rep. Boozman Votes to Affirm BRAC Commission Decision to Send A-10's to Fort Smith
Congressman and majority of House Members votes against rejecting the BRAC Commission report

Washington, Oct 27 - Rep. John Boozman (R-AR) today joined a majority of the House of Representatives to approve the recommendations of the Base Realignment and Closure Commission, including their decision to send eighteen A-10 Warthog aircraft to the 188th Fighter Wing based in Fort Smith, AR. The bill, disapproving of the BRAC Commission's findings, was defeated by the House by a vote of 85-324 (with one present vote). The defeat of the bill sets the stage for the final approval of the commission's report by the Senate.

"The BRAC Commission's decision was a testament to the hard work the community of Fort Smith. We all came together to prove to the commissioners that Fort Smith is the ideal place for an air base and they have listened," Boozman said. By replacing the retiring F-16 jets with A-10 Warthogs, the BRAC Commission has recommended a new mission that fits the 188th and focuses on the future. I feel they made the best decision they could under the circumstances and their decision should stand."

In August, the BRAC Commission recommended the transfer of eighteen A-10 Warthog aircraft to the Air National Guard's 188th Fighter Wing in Fort Smith. In doing so, the commission rejected the Department of Defense's (DOD) recommendations that would have left the 188th Fighter Wing without a flying unit, firefighting unit and training site and would have left them with only a few support staff based in Fort Smith.

The BRAC Commission looked at the DOD's recommendations to transfer the 188th's F-16 planes and felt that the unit had made an excellent case for maintaining a flying mission. In turn, the commission authorized the transfer of eighteen A-10 Warthogs and recommended that the firefighting unit and support staff remain in Fort Smith. The commission did agree with the DOD on one recommendation and will move the 188th's home station training site to Savannah, Georgia. However, the decision to keep a flying mission in Fort Smith is a big win for the community.

"Our vote today set in stone the work of the BRAC Commission. They looked at each case objectively, and in the case of the 188th, really did return a fair and unbiased result," said Boozman.

Boozman, Arkansas' Senators and the community of Fort Smith went to great lengths to convince the commission to keep the 188th intact, including meeting with BRAC Commission Chairman Anthony Principi; testifying in front of the BRAC Commission at a regional hearing in San Antonio, TX; and arranging for Chairman Principi to visit Fort Smith and see the 188th in action.

http://www.boozman.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=36283