New BRAC Twist: Thune Notes Problems in Texas

Rapid City Journal:

The uncertainty resulting from a federal lawsuit challenging the B-1B Lancer bomber training route at Dyess Air Force Base in Texas should have been factored into an Air Force analysis that eventually led to the recommendation for closing Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota, Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., said Tuesday.

If the lawsuit — which, in essence, has led to restrictions on low-level fly-overs — had been a part of the Air Force analysis, "it would have made a dramatic impact on their recommendation" to consolidate the nation's B-1 fleet, including the 29 aircraft from Ellsworth, at Dyess, Thune said.

"This appears to be an inadvertent error, but with that said, this represents a significant omission of facts on the part of the Air Force," he said.

Thune said he has raised the issue in meetings with members of the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission, or BRAC, and its staff. The BRAC commission is the independent panel reviewing the Department of Defense recommendations for military installation closings and realignments.