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Tom Corbett, Governor |
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PA National Guard and U.S. Army Reserve will still have a robust presence at base Harrisburg – The commonwealth has withdrawn its plan to own, operate and maintain the Horsham Joint Interagency Installation proposed for Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base (NASJRB) Willow Grove in Horsham Township, Montgomery County, Governor Edward G. Rendell said today. In a letter to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Governor Rendell explained that a strong and lasting commitment by the federal government to be a full partner in the operation and funding of the installation was necessary for the proposal to become reality. The absence of such a commitment, combined with a lack of state funds, resulted in a decision that this federal property should not be transferred to state ownership. “We saved the airfield at Willow Grove so the Pennsylvania Air National Guard’s 111th Fighter Wing and other military and government organizations could use it for national defense, homeland security and emergency preparedness purposes. Unfortunately, federal authorities have firmly signaled that they do not intend to assign an Air Guard flying mission to this installation. Lacking that mission, it’s difficult to justify state expenditures to operate and maintain the airfield, which is the central military asset of the installation,” Governor Rendell said. “The proposed joint installation was a great concept with tremendous potential to enhance national, state and regional security. Thanks to the outstanding and untiring support of our Congressional delegation we were able to obtain Congressional authorization needed to move forward. It was the right thing to do, and the approach we took provided the only chance to save the entire base for military and government use. “I’m proud of what we accomplished at NASJRB Willow Grove. The original Department of Defense proposal was to deactivate the 111th Fighter Wing and close the base. We saved the 111th from deactivation, and it will remain a key unit of our Pennsylvania Air National Guard. And we convinced the Department of Defense to maintain a robust military enclave at this site, and it will house units of the Air National Guard, Army National Guard and U.S. Army Reserve,” Rendell added. “I joined our Congressional delegation and local legislators in committing to the Horsham community that our goal was to establish a viable government installation, with appropriate associated users. We pledged that we would never allow this installation to become a commercial airport, and we honored that pledge. “Obviously, we are all disappointed that we were unable to forge a partnership with the U.S. Government to keep a military flying unit at this installation and to support other defense, homeland security and emergency preparedness uses of the installation. But, by acting now to notify the federal government of our intentions, we maximize the opportunities for an orderly transition and sound planning. I still believe that the U.S. Government should designate this site as a National Emergency Center, and by notifying the federal government that the state does not intend to take ownership of any real estate at this site, we should facilitate that initiative,” the Governor concluded. In May 2005, the Department of Defense announced plans to close NASJRB Willow Grove and deactivate the 111th Fighter Wing as part of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure, or BRAC, process. Governor Rendell challenged the department’s plans in court and before the BRAC Commission. On the same day in August 2005, the federal District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania declared the DoD recommendations “null and void,” and the BRAC Commission disapproved the DoD recommendations to completely close the base and deactivate the Guard units there. These decisions did not mandate keeping a flying mission at the installation, and the Navy proceeded with plans to close the airfield in 2011. Lacking an airfield, the 111th Fighter Wing could not be considered for a future flying mission, so Governor Rendell and the Congressional delegation forged a plan for the state to assume ownership of the installation to keep the airfield available for military flying and emergency response missions. Despite more than four years of efforts to secure a commitment for a flying mission for the 111th Fighter Wing, the Air Force roadmap for future missions included no National Guard flight operations at Willow Grove. Continuing with plans to develop the proposed installation under state ownership would have required the commitment of state operating and capital project funds. It was estimated that in the first year of full operation, the operating costs would have been $6 to $9 million and that more than $10 million in capital projects would have been required in the first years of state ownership. Although enhanced use leasing of parts of the installation to associated users would have offset some of the costs, the lack of a federal partnership commitment imposed an undue fiscal burden on the state. The concept is unsustainable without a corresponding federal pledge to support the installation and undertake military flight operations there. |
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