RCJ

Here is today's editorial in the Rapid City Journal:

Journal editorial, 2-26: Second mission for Ellsworth

By The Journal Editorial Board

Last week, Sen. Thune outlined another proposal to enhance Ellsworth's military value by expanding the nearby Powder River training area and making the air base a vital training center on a par with Nevada's Nellis Air Force Base. Thune said he has met with Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Michael Moseley to discuss his proposal.

Thune's initiative would:

-- Increase the size of the dedicated airspace for the Powder River Military Operating Area in Eastern Wyoming from 1 million acres to 4.5 million acres.

-- Establish a portion of the expanded Powder River MOA for testing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

-- Upgrade the MOA with more advanced electronic equipment to evaluate and test aircrews.

-- Establish a fixed-site target area and mobile targets to provide more realistic training.

-- Upgrade communications links with the training areas near Nellis and in Utah to allow integrated training exercises.

-- Locate a suitable bombing range closer to Ellsworth for use of live ordnance.

Thune said training areas at Nellis and elsewhere are heavily used and overcrowded. Expanding the Powder River MOA and enhancing Ellsworth's operational capability will help the Air Force to train all types of aircraft, save millions of dollars in training costs and make Ellsworth one of the elite air bases in the country. "Ultimately, the goal of this initiative is to transform Ellsworth into a world class training base, not only for B-1s, but air squadrons of all types, from bases all over the country, and even allied countries," he said.

Thune said his initiative, if adopted, would take many years to complete and would be in competition with other Air Force plans.

Sen. Johnson said he supported Thune's initiative and was prepared to use his position on the Senate Appropriations Committee to help secure funding. It's good to see this level of cooperation from all the members of our congressional delegation.

Thune's initiative is an idea that's well worth pursuing. Getting the Air Force financial services center located at Ellsworth also would be a big deal.

If Ellsworth is to survive future base-closure rounds, it needs to have additional missions. Thune's proposal could position the air base to become one of the Air Force's indispensable bases that the Pentagon would never consider closing.