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During World War II, most of
the U.S. Army Air Corps (now Air Force) was based in England where it developed a
large system of
airbases. Most bases were closed after the war, but the emergence of the Cold
War justified the return of thousands of American airmen and their families to pleasant
England. These bases and airmen remain today, ready to repel Soviet tank armies
and
their Warsaw Pact allies should they invade West Germany and push across the
Rhine. Of course the Soviets disappeared a decade ago, and most of Warsaw
Pact nations have joined NATO, but our Air Force stands ready anyway. Air Force Generals pretend the Cold War never ended, and spend over a billion dollars each year to maintain several airbases in England. Most activity is hidden from Congress and the American press since USAF bases in England use a Royal Air Force (RAF) name. The two large American airbases are at RAF Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall, but USAF units at other airbases remain out of sight. As G2mil noted in another article: Vacate RAF Lakenheath, the 48th Fighter Wing based there should move to the USA for several reasons: 1) the USAF must close several fighter bases as its fighter force is halved; 2) it costs much more to keep a wing in England; 3) Lakenheath is far from areas of conflict; 4) training areas are so limited that its pilots fly to the USA to train; 5) spending federal dollars in England benefits the English and provides local jobs, something Americans need; 6) the Russians aren't coming. If Lakenheath were vacated, the USAF would still have its large RAF Mildenhall base in England to support strategic mobility and reconnaissance needs. In addition, there is no need for USAF squadrons at several smaller airbases, which are part of the USAF 501st Combat Support Wing, populated by 893 active duty airmen, 2635 civilian personnel, with no assigned aircraft or operational units to support. USAF 501st Combat Wing
Organization
If the purpose of these unnecessary "activities" is to support NATO cohesion, one might ask how many European military men are based in the USA, and how many billions of dollars our NATO allies spend on facilities in the USA? The USA faces threats too! The English do not have communist Cuba offshore and Mexican drug lords near their borders. How many English airmen are in Texas to help defend their NATO ally? The answer is none, with no NATO spending in the USA, employing no U.S. citizens. Shouldn't our allies spend millions of dollars a year and employ thousands of Americans to maintain a NATO "Joint International Operations Center America, Analytic Center, Intelligence Fusion Centre" in Florida? Most Congressmen would be shocked at the hollow USAF base network hidden in England. Some light was recently shed when the USAF requested funding for a new elementary school at RAF Alconbury. When Congressmen asked why we have airmen there, the proposal was deferred. Concentrating all USAF activities in England at RAF Mildenhall is cost effective. The USAF can justify the assignment of a few dozen Americans at other RAF bases, but they don't need a complete American base support complex to live. They can commute from Mildenhall, or survive off-base amongst the English heathen and visit Mildenhall for special needs. Closing these outdated bases is not a new idea. The last Pentagon review of our overseas base structure was in 2005, as Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld attempted to pry our military out of its Cold war base posture. That commission recommended modest realignments, including the closure of USAF activities at RAF Alconbury, Upwood, and Molesworth. President Bush endorsed the commission's recommendations, yet USAF Generals delayed action until the Bush administration left office, as did U.S. Army Generals, who ignored President Bush and retained two major bases in Germany that Bush ordered closed. This common sense proposal faces great resistance because these are some of the USAF General's favorites bases. They are located in safe, beautiful rural England, and the locals speak English! They provide wonderful vacation spots, and are favorite destinations for "inspection tours." Thousands of American military retirees live near these bases to utilize tax-free shopping, free medical care and recreational facilities. They will scream, but USA should not spend millions of dollars on unneeded bases because they chose to retire outside the USA. And yes, close the USAF resort in Norway, posing as a useful airbase. The UK government will be upset, since it is slashing military spending, and already spends half as much per citizen on defense than the USA. They will argue that these bases are vital to NATO, so long as the USAF pays the bill. Generals will describe the closure of these bases as drastic, even though the 501st Combat Support Wing with 893 active duty airmen and 2635 civilian personnel are a small fraction of total manpower for the U.S. Air Force Europe, which has 30,963 active duty airmen and 6,250 civilian personnel. Closing these bases cost nothing since they are RAF bases, and will remain open, with fewer British jobs. RAF Mildenhall can remain as a strategic American/NATO military base and support base for American military personnel in England, but the USAF can save a half billion dollars annually by closing activities at all other RAF bases. Carlton Meyer editor@G2mil.com ©2011 www.G2mil.com |
