Utah group courts Air Force brass

Members of Utah's congressional delegation and the Utah Defense Alliance were able to talk up the efficiency of Hill Air Force Base to top Air Force brass at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, the headquarters for Ogden Air Logistics at Hill.

The three Republican members of Utah's delegation arranged a one-day meeting Monday with Gen. Gregory S. Martin, commander of the Air Force Materiel Command, at Wright-Patterson in Dayton, Ohio.

Ten members of the Utah Defense Alliance and Leo Memmott from the Governor's Office attended the meeting. Sens. Orrin Hatch and Bob Bennett and freshman Rep. Rob Bishop attended in person and Rep. Jim Matheson, Utah's lone Democrat member of Congress, sent a representative.

Rick Mayfield, executive director of the alliance, said the meeting was productive and reinforced many of the things he believed about Hill's status, although he was disappointed the officers couldn't speak directly about the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process so he could get a better feel for how Hill stands.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has ordered another round of base closings next year that could see as many as 25 percent of bases across service lines closed.

"We were able to talk up Hill and its efficiencies," Mayfield said. "We know Hill and the other two Air Force depots are well-managed, efficient operations. They're the best in the Department of Defense at what they do and for the most part, don't compete against each other.

"It's a given that they have improved significantly since the last round of closures in 1995. But the question of politics always comes in. It's not just politics in the White House, but politics between the services," he said.

Martin talked about the Utah Test and Training Range, in Utah's western desert, and understands its importance in training combat pilots, Mayfield said. "General Martin is a class officer and wants to do what's right and protect the interests of the Air Force. I believe they are on our side, at least for now."

Davis County Commission Chairman Dannie McConkie took part and said he was gratified by what he learned. "It seems unlikely that Hill will disappear, after what I saw. It may be reconfigured with new work and planes."

Mayfield said that in an ideal world, "it's one of those things where if you look at the efficiencies and capabilities of the three Air Force depots, you'd have to conclude there is no reason in the world they'd close down.

"From a management standpoint, there is no reason to close Hill or the other two depots, but if you throw politics into it, it scares me to death," Mayfield said.

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E-mail: lweist@desnews.com