EDITORIAL: Words can only take Robins so far
The juxtaposition of news events coming out of Robins Air Force Base could not have been more stark or confusing to the casual observer, of which there are a few in Middle Georgia. Most people are well aware that the lifeblood of the area runs through the base.
On one day, Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., Reps. Sanford Bishop, D-Ga., Austin Scott, R-Ga., and Tom Graves, R-Ga., are touring the base saying all the right things, talking about the efficiency of the base and some of the needs at the largest industrial complex in the state. The next day it’s announced that part of the Marine Light Helicopter Squadron 773 would be leaving Robins headed for New Jersey. The move consolidates three bases down to two, and Robins is the odd base out. One-hundred-and-fifty active-duty Marines and another 150 who commute in for training monthly will be leaving.
Congress has consistently thwarted the Pentagon’s requests for another round of base reductions, and Scott has been one of the most adamant opposers to the base realignment and closure process. However, he now says the BRAC process would be better than sequestration that has put all branches of the military under tremendous stress.
While Robins will lose the helicopter unit, Fort Benning in Columbus will lose about 2,600 troops. Benning and Fort Hood in Texas, which will lose 3,350 soldiers, are taking the brunt of the Army’s troop reduction to 450,000. According to Isakson, if Congress doesn’t fix sequestration in the next 18 months, troop levels could drop to 420,000. While the reduction isn’t news, the speed of the drawdown is news. Some of the troops will be leaving bases this month.
The Air Force is not in any better shape. The delegation, while at Robins, talked about a new flying platform for the Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System, commonly known as J-STARS. Pilots are flying modified Boeing 707s that first saw service in 1958. There’s no need for an aircraft the size of a commercial airliner anymore.
Aircrafts that can be bought off the shelf can handle the job. Isakson said during his visit that the biggest issue for the base is getting new planes for J-STARS, and he is pushing the Air Force to move faster than the projected date of 2023.
Eliminating sequestration and transitioning to a new J-STARS fleet of smaller, less maintenance-intensive aircraft will help the Pentagon on all fronts and help the base meet its obligations, but words have to be met with actions. Our congressional delegation lacks power on the committees that will make the big decisions. Isakson and Bishop will have to take the bipartisan lead to navigate the Byzantine political maze that lies ahead.
This story was originally published September 6, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "EDITORIAL: Words can only take Robins so far ."