Utah fared well in BRAC process

WASHINGTON — New Mexico's misfortune will result in an enhanced F-16 fighter presence at Utah's Hill Air Force Base, due to the Base Realignment and Closure Commission vote Friday to strip Cannon Air Force Base outside of Clovis, N.M., of its fighter wing.

Under the plan, Hill will get six of Cannon's Block 40 F-16 fighter jets. Others will go to bases in Nevada, Maryland, New Mexico and elsewhere. Twenty-nine of Cannon's jets will be held in reserve "inventory."

The vote was the last having major impact on Utah military installations, and it had Utah officials, ever worried that some last-minute development could target Hill, breathing a sigh of relief.

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said the BRAC process went pretty much as expected. "It's good news for Utah and our excellent military installations, especially Hill," he said.

His compatriot, Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, said, "There are still a couple of official steps left, but we're getting to the end, and Utah has fared very well. The impact of what was to be the 'mother of all BRACs' is pretty minimal here."

So minimal, in fact, that only six jobs were lost — far fewer than the number of jobs that could come to Hill with the transfer of the Cannon F-16s.

Wednesday, Hill lost five engineering jobs to Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. And the base lost another single position — the guy who orders replacement tires for jets — to Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio.

But the delegation successfully deflected Pentagon recommendations to shift 85 direct and 83 indirect human resource jobs from Hill's Ogden Air Logistics Center to Randolph Air Force Base in Texas. And the BRAC Commission rejected a proposal to shift 64 direct jobs — all white-collar depot manager positions — to a base in California.

"I feel good that our efforts bore fruit," said Scott Petersen, an aide to Bishop specializing in military affairs. "All in all, if you had told me a year ago that Hill would have escaped the destroying angel, I would have said 'dream on.' "

The delegation was particularly jittery after the 1995 BRAC process, when Hill was put on the closure list, an apparent political move to appease delegations in California and Texas. There were no political overtones this time around as Hill not only survived intact, but will likely see its military role expanded.