VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKubvyMEp9k&feature=youtu.be
WASHINGTON — Today, during a hearing of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, U.S. Senator Tom Udall urged Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson to make permanent an interim decision to relocate two additional F-16 training squadrons to Holloman Air Force Base in order to create a new Formal Training Unit. Udall also urged support for funding and resources for New Mexico's Air Force bases for research and development, programs to address pilot shortage, and projects critical to the operations and competitiveness of Holloman, Cannon, and Kirtland Air Force bases.
Last November, the Air Force announced the interim decision to relocate the F-16 training squadrons to Holloman Air Force Base in Alamogordo, after a joint effort by Udall, Senator Heinrich and U.S. Representative Steve Pearce to urge the Air Force to choose Holloman as its relocation site. The lawmakers cited Holloman's unmatched airspace, the base's existing mission as a premier F-16 training location, and a surrounding community that is ready and eager to welcome the new squadrons, service members, and families. Earlier this month, the Air Force completed the Environmental Impact Assessment — which found no significant impact — and Wilson gave final approval to begin moving the F-16s from Hill Air Force Base in Utah to Holloman by the end of the summer.
A final determination about whether to make the interim basing permanent is still pending with the Air Force. At today's hearing Udall told Wilson: "I think that the training pipeline would be negatively impacted if those F-16’s were then to be suddenly moved again to yet another location." And he reiterated the critical role that the additional F-16 training squadrons at Holloman will play in addressing the pilot shortage the Air Force is currently facing. "Not only do we need more pilots in the training pipeline, but we also need to do a better job retaining the pilots that we have,” Udall said.
Later today, Udall will meet today with the Alamogordo Committee of 50 to discuss community support for the permanent relocation of the F-16 training squadrons at Holloman.
Also at the hearing, Udall asked Wilson and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein to look for opportunities to return a unit equipped flying mission to the New Mexico Air National Guard. General Goldfein agreed that the Air National Guard plays a vital role in defending the homeland and that the Air Force needs to grow in order to meet the demands that our nation requires. Wilson added that the guard is one of the strongest elements of the Air Force due to its experience and that she would like to see the New Mexico Air National Guard return to a flying mission. The New Mexico Air National Guard lost its mission flying F-16s during the 2009 Base Realignment and Closure action.
Finally, Udall urged Wilson to prioritize funding for the research labs at New Mexico's Air Force bases to support research and development, increase production and improve technology transfer opportunities within the private sector. He also discussed the critical role that Kirtland Air Force Base plays in monitoring our nation's space assets, which are increasingly threatened by near peer competitors that could threaten U.S. dominance in space. He included additional questions for the record regarding proposed training routes at Holloman, and the combined work with Sandia National Laboratories to develop the nation’s hypersonic capability, among others.
