North Carolina lawmakers are working together to block tThe Air Force's plan decision to close one of the busiest Air Force Reserve C-130 units lacks "strategic merit," and a bipartisan group of North Carolina lawmakers are working together to block the service's plans.
The Air Force, in its fiscal 2016 2015 budget request, calls for on deactivating the 440th Airlift Wing at Pope Airfield. The unit provides airlift for the Army's 18th Airborne Corps, 82nd Airborne Global Response Force and other Army Special Forces unit at Fort Bragg.
"This is a decision that takes the air out of airborne," Republican Rep. Renee Ellmers said during a House Armed Services Committee member hearing Tuesday today. "There have been planes located at Pope since 1954."
The Air Force is moving to retire many of its oldest C-130H model aircraft, and the Pope unit is the only one that would completely close as a result of that effort the decision, Ellmers said.
The service has said it would be able to provide enough airlift to support the Army units by rotating other aircraft through based on training requirements. However, Ellmers said she had spoken with Lt. Gen. Joseph Anderson, the commander of Fort Bragg and the 18th Airborne Corps, and he said the move will negatively affect impact his soldiers' ability to train.
"The removal not only lacks strategic merit, but it injects risk into the readiness of the most unique and rapidly deployable force our military has to offer," Ellmer said.
The cCongresswoman told other lawmakers that the members of the North Carolina delegation has have united against this move. In February, Republican Sen. Thom Tillis sent a letter to Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James stating that the move "creates unreasonable risks to the readiness of these critical airborne units, many of which must be prepared to respond to a range of contingencies on short notice."
The possible closure of the wing would mean 1,000 airmen, drilling reservists and 250 Reserve technicians would need to find new jobs in the Air Force.
