OP-ED: Thursday, June 19, 2008

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SECRETARY GATES’ WORDS VALIDATE OUR EFFORTS

What a week for Scott Air Force Base! The nomination of General Norton Schwartz to Chief of Staff of the Air Force and of General Duncan McNabb to head TRANSCOM emphasized the importance of Scott to the nation. But when Defense Secretary Robert Gates visited the base to discuss these promotions, and declared that Scott was one of the three most important Air Force bases in the country, there could be no doubt that Scott has achieved a special status in our national defense structure.

This is an honor that the men and women serving at Team Scott earn on a daily basis. Scott is home to the U.S. Transportation Command (TRANSCOM), Air Mobility Command, the 18th Air Force, the Army Surface Deployment and Distribution Command (SDDC), an Air Force Logistics Support Center, the 375th Airlift Wing, the 932nd Airlift Wing (Reserve) and the 126th Refueling Wing (Guard). Everything that moves in the military is coordinated and tracked from Scott, with the airmen making sure that personnel and material get to where they need to go, that our jets are refueled, medical air evacuation is provided and other critical missions are fulfilled. The 14,000-plus men and women of Team Scott are an integral part of our communities and enrich life in the Metro East, while the base is responsible for pumping over $2 billion annually into the local economy.

At the same time, Secretary Gates' words validated the efforts we as a community have made to strengthen Scott through the several Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) rounds that have occurred since the late 1980s. Given Secretary Gates' words, it is hard to remember that there was a time when some in the Pentagon talked of closing Scott. Community leaders came together then and worked in a comprehensive way to improve the facilities at the base. The 10,000 foot runway at MidAmerica Airport and the joint use agreement between Scott and MidAmerica added capacity to the base. Moving the 126th Refueling Wing from Chicago brought an important mission and 1,200 jobs, and securing the funding to maintain the C9s and acquire new C40 aircraft for the 932nd Airlift Wing kept 1,100 jobs here. Improving the housing and building a new child care center made day-to-day life on base better.

When the latest BRAC round ended in the summer of 2005, Scott not only remained open, but almost 800 jobs were brought to the base, along with the SDDC, the Air Force Logistics Support Center and KC-135Rs to replace the KC-135Es that were already at the base. This work was not easy, and it took a lot of coordination and patience, but we were ultimately successful.

Secretary Gates' visit marked a significant point in Scott's history. The base has fully arrived as one of the nation's best, and we owe the men and women serving at Scott our undying gratitude for making it such a fine example for the rest of the country. While we savor this moment, our job is to make sure we continue to grow Scott, think ahead, and to work with the Air Force and all branches of our military to support the important work being done at Scott. I look forward to continuing to meet this challenge.

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