Pennsylvania Governor Rendell Withdraws Plan for Proposed Joint Interagency Installation at Willow Grove
PA National Guard and U.S. Army Reserve will still have a robust presence at base
HARRISBURG, Pa., Nov. 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The commonwealth has withdrawn its plan to own, operate and maintain the Horsham Joint Interagency Installation proposed for Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base (NASJRB) Willow Grove in Horsham Township, Montgomery County, Governor Edward G. Rendell said today.
In a letter to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Governor Rendell explained that a strong and lasting commitment by the federal government to be a full partner in the operation and funding of the installation was necessary for the proposal to become reality. The absence of such a commitment, combined with a lack of state funds, resulted in a decision that this federal property should not be transferred to state ownership.
"We saved the airfield at Willow Grove so the Pennsylvania Air National Guard's 111th Fighter Wing and other military and government organizations could use it for national defense, homeland security and emergency preparedness purposes. Unfortunately, federal authorities have firmly signaled that they do not intend to assign an Air Guard flying mission to this installation. Lacking that mission, it's difficult to justify state expenditures to operate and maintain the airfield, which is the central military asset of the installation," Governor Rendell said.
"The proposed joint installation was a great concept with tremendous potential to enhance national, state and regional security. Thanks to the outstanding and untiring support of our Congressional delegation we were able to obtain Congressional authorization needed to move forward. It was the right thing to do, and the approach we took provided the only chance to save the entire base for military and government use.
"I'm proud of what we accomplished at NASJRB Willow Grove. The original Department of Defense proposal was to deactivate the 111th Fighter Wing and close the base. We saved the 111th from deactivation, and it will remain a key unit of our Pennsylvania Air National Guard. And we convinced the Department of Defense to maintain a robust military enclave at this site, and it will house units of the Air National Guard, Army National Guard and U.S. Army Reserve," Rendell added.
"I joined our Congressional delegation and local legislators in committing to the Horsham community that our goal was to establish a viable government installation, with appropriate associated users. We pledged that we would never allow this installation to become a commercial airport, and we honored that pledge.
"Obviously, we are all disappointed that we were unable to forge a partnership with the U.S. Government to keep a military flying unit at this installation and to support other defense, homeland security and emergency preparedness uses of the installation. But, by acting now to notify the federal government of our intentions, we maximize the opportunities for an orderly transition and sound planning. I still believe that the U.S. Government should designate this site as a National Emergency Center, and by notifying the federal government that the state does not intend to take ownership of any real estate at this site, we should facilitate that initiative," the Governor concluded.
In May 2005, the Department of Defense announced plans to close NASJRB Willow Grove and deactivate the 111th Fighter Wing as part of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure, or BRAC, process. Governor Rendell challenged the department's plans in court and before the BRAC Commission. On the same day in August 2005, the federal District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania declared the DoD recommendations "null and void," and the BRAC Commission disapproved the DoD recommendations to completely close the base and deactivate the Guard units there.
These decisions did not mandate keeping a flying mission at the installation, and the Navy proceeded with plans to close the airfield in 2011. Lacking an airfield, the 111th Fighter Wing could not be considered for a future flying mission, so Governor Rendell and the Congressional delegation forged a plan for the state to assume ownership of the installation to keep the airfield available for military flying and emergency response missions. Despite more than four years of efforts to secure a commitment for a flying mission for the 111th Fighter Wing, the Air Force roadmap for future missions included no National Guard flight operations at Willow Grove.
Continuing with plans to develop the proposed installation under state ownership would have required the commitment of state operating and capital project funds. It was estimated that in the first year of full operation, the operating costs would have been $6 to $9 million and that more than $10 million in capital projects would have been required in the first years of state ownership. Although enhanced use leasing of parts of the installation to associated users would have offset some of the costs, the lack of a federal partnership commitment imposed an undue fiscal burden on the state. The concept is unsustainable without a corresponding federal pledge to support the installation and undertake military flight operations there.
For more information, visit www.dmva.state.pa.us.
Media contacts:
Joan Nissley, Dept. of Military and Veterans Affairs; 717-861-8720
Editor's Note: The text of Governor Rendell's letter is attached.
November 12, 2009
The Honorable Robert M. Gates
Secretary of Defense
1000 Defense Pentagon
Washington, DC 20301
Dear Secretary Gates:
The Joint Interagency Installation was established for use "by the Pennsylvania National Guard and other Department of Defense components, government agencies and associated users to perform national defense, homeland security and emergency preparedness missions." This was, and is, a great concept with tremendous potential to contribute to national, state and regional security by maintaining a secure installation in a prime strategic location. As both the Commonwealth's Congressional Delegation and I have made clear to Department of Defense and other federal officials on numerous occasions, the viability of the Joint Interagency Installation concept was premised on a strong and sustained partnership between the federal and state governments.
A key component of the Joint Interagency Installation was to have been its airfield, containing an 8,000 foot runway and facilities to support military (Pennsylvania Air National Guard) and government flying missions. We saved the airfield and runway for military use, but the military has told us they have no use for it. Despite strenuous, repeated efforts by my office, our entire Congressional delegation and the leadership of the Pennsylvania National Guard to attract a flying mission to this installation, it has not come to fruition nor do we expect it will. The Pennsylvania Air National Guard's 111th Fighter Wing, which we saved from deactivation by our decisive intervention in the courts and before the BRAC Commission, has been stripped of 11 of its 17 A-10s to date, and the other six are to depart next summer.
Without a federal commitment to a full partnership in operating and funding the Joint Interagency Installation, there was, and is, no way that the installation can accomplish its vital national defense, homeland security and emergency preparedness missions. The Air Force plans for the military enclave at Willow Grove Air Reserve Station reinforce our perception that the Department of Defense has no plans to function as a full partner in, or even a significant user of, the Joint Interagency Installation. The Air Force plan for the adjacent military enclave has it as a separate, distinct installation isolated from the Joint Interagency Installation rather than as a fully-integrated entity engaged in shared use of complimentary facilities.
Pennsylvania, like most other states, faces serious fiscal challenges. In light of the harsh fiscal realities of our present and future state budgets, the Commonwealth undertook an in-depth review of all plans and programs including the costs and benefits of state ownership of the Joint Interagency Installation. The continued and increasing expenditures of scarce state resources on this project made no sense as long as the federal government failed to commit to being a full partner in this effort.
I am writing to advise you officially that the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania will not be using NASJRB Willow Grove (Montgomery County, Pennsylvania) for the proposed Horsham Joint Interagency Installation. Ownership and title to this property should remain with the United States Department of Defense. I am conveying this decision to you pursuant to Section 8115(b) of the Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance, and Continuing Appropriations Act of 2009 (P.L. 110-329), which authorized transfer of the designated property to the Commonwealth for use as the Joint Interagency Installation and provided for its reversion to the Department of Defense if not used for this purpose.
My decision to not pursue ownership of a future Horsham Joint Interagency Installation does not mean that my Administration is abandoning our interest in Willow Grove. We saved the 111th Fighter Wing from deactivation, and the unit will continue to perform federal and state missions of importance albeit without a flying mission. To be sure this is a decision which makes no sense to me at all given the incredible history of the 111th Fighter Wings' wartime participation. Our efforts resulted in establishment of a robust military enclave at Willow Grove that will ensure a military presence on part of this site by the Pennsylvania Army and Air National Guard and the U.S. Army Reserve.
We will do so with a continued commitment to balancing the needs of our country and the interests of our local community. By notifying you now of our decision that the Commonwealth cannot take ownership and full responsibility for this installation, we maximize the opportunity for an orderly planning and transition process. At the same time, I renew the Commonwealth's pledge to support the Pennsylvania National Guard's active use of the military enclave at Willow Grove. The Commonwealth will, of course, cooperate and be fully engaged in any planning efforts for the future of this important national security asset.
Sincerely,
Edward G. Rendell
Governor
SOURCE Pennsylvania Office of the Governor