ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE -- A general who could be the next Air Force chief of staff came to Robins Air Force Base on Monday.

Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Philip Breedlove, on the short list to succeed Gen. Norton Schwartz as the Air Force’s top military leader, visited the base with Eighth District U.S. Rep. Austin Scott, R-Ga.

Breedlove did not speak with media after the visit, but Scott did.

He said Breedlove toured the base and learned about the dramatic turnaround in on-time production rates in the past year.

Scott said it’s significant for Robins to have such a high-placed leader to visit.

“It’s one thing when you tell someone 98 percent of the planes at Robins are being done on time,” Scott said. “It’s another thing when the person you are talking to is one of the key decision makers in regard to the Air Force and has actually been here and seen it with his own eyes and seen the quality of work that is being done.”

Breedlove grew up in Forest Park and is a Georgia Tech graduate.

Scott said Breedlove met with Maj. Gen. Robert McMahon, commander of the Warner Robins Air Logistics Center, and visited the Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System area, where he toured a J-STARS plane.

Breedlove also met with Lt. Gen. Charles Stenner, commander of the Air Force Reserve Command headquartered at Robins.

“We just had a good day where we, along with the base command, got to show off to the vice chief all of the good things that are happening here,” Scott said.

Scott said Breedlove and four other generals are considered the top candidates to succeed Schwartz, who is retiring this summer.

“Gen. Breedlove is a great man,” Scott said. “He’s got the perfect balance of leadership, ability and working knowledge because of his time as a pilot in the Air Force. He knows what it takes to be successful as a base and to be successful in combat.”

Scott also said the Pentagon’s request for a Base Realignment and Closure Commission is essentially dead.

Scott serves on the Readiness Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee, which has to give its support for the recommendation to move forward.

“There is no support on the subcommittee for a BRAC from any Republican or Democrat,” he said. “I feel pretty comfortable in telling you that the 2013 BRAC is dead.”

To contact writer Wayne Crenshaw, call 256-9725.