Baldwin Makes Strong Case for Truax

Baldwin Makes Strong Case for Truax
May 11, 2005

Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin made a strong case for maintaining military operations at Truax Field and other Wisconsin Military Bases as the Pentagon prepares to announce its list of bases to include in the current round of Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) which is expected Friday.

In a letter sent May 9 to Philip Grone, Deputy Undersecretary for Installations and Environment, Baldwin stressed the strategic value of maintaining, and even expanding, operations at Truax Field in Madison. "No fighter wing is closer to Chicago than the 115th. The value of this proximity was demonstrated during Operation Noble Eagle. Its central location makes it ideally suited for operations over Minneapolis, Chicago, Milwaukee and other Midwestern cities. They are charged with protecting more than 30 nuclear power plants and other strategic targets, such as football stadiums, in the North Central United States. There is also ample space for future expansion of operations at Truax," said Baldwin. (Note: Operation Noble Eagle was the post-9-11 mission to protect the continental U.S. from terrorist attack.)

"Few bases in the country can compare to the exceptional assets, personnel, community resources, strategic location and expertise found at Truax. As you consider which bases to include in the current round of Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC), I strongly urge you to maintain support for continued operations, and even expansion of operations, at Truax Field. These facilities are critical to our nation's security," Baldwin added.

Baldwin and the other nine members of Wisconsin's Congressional Delegation (House and Senate) sent a joint letter on May 10 to U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld reiterating their strong and unified support for Wisconsin's military bases in advance of the release of the Base BRAC list.

"Representing the state of Wisconsin, we want to reiterate our strong support for Fort McCoy, Volk Field, and Mitchell and Truax Airfields…Fort McCoy, Volk Field, and Mitchell and Truax Airfields are first-class installations that play a key role in support of military operations worldwide. They are home to many Guard members and Reservists who, as you know, now make up roughly 40 percent of the forces in Iraq. The Guard and Reserve are indispensable for protecting U.S. national security interests at home and abroad," said the Members.

"Overall, Wisconsin's bases provide critical training and readiness capabilities for military commands and installations that carry out important missions in the United States and abroad...the 128th Air Refueling Wing and the 440th Airlift Wing, based at Mitchell Airfield [for example], have been very active with Operation Iraqi Freedom…Further, Wisconsin's bases provide unmatched capabilities for carrying out critical missions to protect homeland security," they added.

The letter was signed by Senators Kohl and Feingold and Representatives Baldwin, Green, Kind, Moore, Obey, Petri, Ryan, and Sensenbrenner.

(Copies of both letters follow.)

May 9, 2005

The Hon. Philip Grone
Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Installations and Environment
Department of Defense
3015 Pentagon
Washington, D.C. 20301-0001

Dear Mr. Grone,

I am writing to express my strong support for the military facilities at Truax Field in Madison, Wisconsin.

During my career in Congress, I have had many opportunities to visit Truax and view first hand the important work done there. As you know, Truax Field serves as the base for the 115th Fighter Wing of the Wisconsin Air National Guard and the 147th Aviation Wing of the Wisconsin Army National Guard. The fighter wing has 17 F-16s and the 147th has 14 Black Hawk helicopters and one C-26 fixed wing aircraft. The 1st Battalion, 147th Aviation provides general aviation support, including transporting troops, cargo delivery, and serving as airborne command and control platforms. These units have served with exceptional distinction in numerous operations in recent years, including Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Nobel Eagle, and anti-drug and relief operations in Central America.

The presence of the Army and Air National Guard units at Truax Field is tremendously valuable to the State of Wisconsin, Dane County and the City of Madison. These units are an integral part of flight operations at Dane County Regional Airport and provide critical emergency fire and medical services. They are fully integrated into the local 9-11 emergency communications system. Community support for these units has been and remains exceptionally strong. Truax has a significant impact on the regional economy. With more than 1,500 jobs and a payroll of $35 million, the base returns $42 million to the economy and has an estimated economic impact of $92 million.

Truax provides the Department of Defense with some of the best educated, professional, highly skilled personnel in the entire nation. Readiness inspections of the 115th are consistently rated "Excellent" year after year. In addition, the unit has developed best Air Force practices. In 2000, the unit had the most comprehensive, detailed network contingency plan seen by the military's Inspection Team. Recruitment and retention rates are exceptionally high for these Madison-based units, providing unequaled experience and expertise. The State of Wisconsin has the most comprehensive state services and benefits for military personnel and veterans, including differential pay for state employees serving on active duty and 100% tuition to any University of Wisconsin System or Wisconsin Technical College System school.
No fighter wing is closer to Chicago than the 115th. The value of this proximity was demonstrated during Operation Noble Eagle. Its central location makes it ideally suited for operations over Minneapolis, Chicago, Milwaukee and other Midwestern cities. They are charged with protecting more than 30 nuclear power plants and other strategic targets, such as football stadiums, in the North Central United States. There is also ample space for future expansion of operations at Truax.

Few bases in the country can compare to the exceptional assets, personnel, community resources, strategic location and expertise found at Truax. As you consider which bases to include in the current round of Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC), I strongly urge you to maintain support for continued operations, and even expansion of operations, at Truax Field. These facilities are critical to our nation's security.

Sincerely,

Tammy Baldwin
Member of Congress

May 10, 2005

The Honorable Donald H. Rumsfeld
Secretary
Department of Defense
1000 Defense
The Pentagon
Washington, D.C. 20301

Dear Secretary Rumsfeld:

Representing the state of Wisconsin, we want to reiterate our strong support for Fort McCoy, Volk Field, and Mitchell and Truax Airfields. It is our understanding that on Friday, May 13, 2005, you will be submitting your Department of Defense (DOD) Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) list to the Base Closure and Realignment Commission. We would like to remind you the value these military facilities provide in protecting our nation's interests.

Fort McCoy, Volk Field, and Mitchell and Truax Airfields are first-class installations that play a key role in support of military operations worldwide. They are home to many Guard members and Reservists who, as you know, now make up roughly 40 percent of the forces in Iraq. The Guard and Reserve are indispensable for protecting U.S. national security interests at home and abroad.

Wisconsin's congressional delegation has worked extensively with Fort McCoy, Volk Field, Mitchell and Truax Airfields and the surrounding communities in Wisconsin to prepare for the 2005 BRAC round and provide information to accurately inform the DOD in its decision making process. Our efforts have resulted in the creation of several plans detailing the value of each of our military facilities to Wisconsin and the nation. These reports specify why each of the facilities should stay off the BRAC list.

When examining the selection criteria for retention of capabilities, we feel our Wisconsin facilities fulfill, and many times exceed, the standards of the criteria. Especially in terms of their military value, Wisconsin's facilities demonstrate U.S. military "jointness;" Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force many times are operating at the same facility. Additionally, this is true in regards to number two of the criteria by having the necessary infrastructure, space, and strong community support to absorb additional missions and personnel from all branches of the military services. Moreover, these facilities continue to meet current DOD low cost of operation mandates.

Overall, Wisconsin's bases provide critical training and readiness capabilities for military commands and installations that carry out important missions in the United States and abroad.

For example, the 128th Air Refueling Wing, based at Mitchell Airfield, houses the KC-135 Stratotanker, which enhances the USAF's capability to accomplish its primary missions of Global Reach and Global Power, while also providing aerial refueling support to Navy, Marine Corps, and allied aircraft. The 440th Airlift Wing, also based at Mitchell Airfield, has been very active with Operation Iraqi Freedom, supplying a large portion of the C-130H Hercules airlift in the Middle East. Although the Wing's mission extends into Europe and the Pacific, most of the 235 airmen currently deployed are in the Middle East theater. In total, almost 2,000 440th airmen have been deployed since 9-11 in support of the Air Mobility Command's Global Reach mission.

Further, Wisconsin's bases provide unmatched capabilities for carrying out critical missions to protect homeland security. The 115th Fighter Wing at Truax Field is the closest Fighter Wing to Chicago - only 7 minutes flight time away - playing a key role in Operation Noble Eagle.

Fort McCoy, one of 15 Power Projection Platforms in the United States, is the best four-season training region in the nation, and Volk Field is the only Air National Guard Combat Readiness Training Center that allows around-the-clock training. Together, these two facilities provide outstanding surge capabilities to rapidly move the nation's war-fighters and their equipment to areas of conflict far from our borders, helping to ensure the United States is prepared to defend its security interests around the world.

Currently, the state of Wisconsin has 5,500 soldiers and airmen deployed overseas, and 1,500 on alert. We are very proud of our Wisconsin military facilities, and as we move forward to the next stage of the 2005 BRAC round, we are confident the DOD and the Base Realignment and Closure Commission will agree our facilities are indispensable not only to our national security through homeland defense, but to Guard, Reserve, and regular forces from around the country.

Rep. Ron Kind
Sen. Russ Feingold
Sen. Herb Kohl
Rep. Tammy Baldwin
Rep. Mark Green
Rep. Gwen Moore
Rep. Dave Obey
Rep. Tom Petri
Rep. Paul Ryan
Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner

http://tammybaldwin.house.gov/pr_display_page.asp?page=pressreleasedisplay&type=1&releaseid=413&pageno=1