Mr. WILSON. I might say the mine owners are very much interested in getting some of that property back, if the committee would be so disposed. The CHAIRMAN. All right, now Mr. GAVIN. Wait a minute, will you, please. You say you disposed of the whole 54,000 acres and you have had in since 1945, is that right? Mr. FERRY. That is correct, sir. Mr. GAVIN. Did you ascertain what we paid for it and what we received for it? Mr. FERRY. We have a record of that, sir. I do not have it available to me, sir. Mr. GAVIN. Well, furnish it for the record. Mr. FERRY. I will be glad to, sir. Mr. GAVIN. And give us the location and all the pertinent details about the whole transaction. Mr. FERRY. I will be glad to do that, Mr. Gavin. (The information requested, when received will appear in the record at this point.) BEALE AIR FORCE BASE, CALIF. 1. Beale Air Force Base, Calif., consisting of 85,353.77 acres of Governmentowned land and 628.23 acres of public domain land, was originally acquired in 1942 by the Department of the Army at a cost of $1,825,392. 2. The above area was transferred from the Department of the Army to the Department of the Air Force on November 10, 1948. 3. On December 18, 1958, the Air Force declared approximately 54,000 acres of land excess to their needs. 4. General Services Administration, on December 21, 1959, sold by competitive bidding approximately 40,000 acres at approximately $2,248,648. The remaining excess area of 14,000 acres is being held in escrow by General Services Administration pursuant to a Federal Power Commission order. The Federal Power Commission has several applications for establishment of a water resources project within the area. 5. When the disposal of the above mentioned 54,000 acres is accomplished, Beale Air Force Base will consist of approximately 31,982 acres of land. Mr. GUBSER. Mr. Chairman, may I ask one quick question? It is true, is it not, that the original landowners at Beale Air Force Base who had their property condemned were not given any opportunity or priority in purchasing their own property back, that it was put up for public bid by GSA, is that not correct? Mr. FERRY. You are correct on that, sir. There is no legal way by which we can give the original owners a priority to repurchase, after a period of 5 years. The CHAIRMAN. There are a great many bills pending in the House today to give the original owner the privilege of buying it, if he meets the fair market value. Now go ahead with your next item. Mr. SLATINSHEK. The next item appears on page 169 of your backup book and page 27 of the bill. "Norton Air Force Base, San Bernardino, Calif: Ground improvements, $169,000." General CURTIN. Norton Air Force Base is located 3 miles east of San Bernardino, Calif. Planned use of this base is for the headquarters of the San Bernardino Air Materiel Area, Headquarters of an Air Defense Command Division (SAGE), and an Inspector Gen eral mission; $169,000 is requested for the removal of a flying hazard. The project will involve relocation of existing high voltage powerlines that project above the glide slope path of aircraft using runway No. 5-23 at Norton. The CHAIRMAN. Without objection Mr. HARDY. Mr. Chairman, could I ask a question about that one. The CHAIRMAN. Yes, sir. Mr. HARDY. How long has this hazard been there? Mr. FERRY. Colonel Parkhill, can you answer that? Colonel PARKHILL. I do not know exactly. We will have to furnish that for the record. The CHAIRMAN. What is that? Mr. HARDY. Why was it not taken care of before? If you have a high-tension powerline right at the end of the runway in the glide pattern, it ought to be removed. I wonder why you let it be there this long? Why was it not provided for at the time the runway was extended? Colonel PARKHILL. Well Mr. FERRY. I am unable to answer that, sir. I do not know. Mr. HARDY. You have a $169,000 item here. Maybe it does not amount to much, again. But it does not look to me like we ought to be coming back with items at this time that should have been taken care of at the time that the runway extension was made. Colonel PARKHILL. Well, Mr. Hardy, we have been trying to correct a lot of these deficiencies throughout the years. We cannot catch them all in any one program. Mr. HARDY. But it was overlooked, then, when you came in here to increase the length of the runway; is that right, or has it been installed since? Mr. FERRY. Mr. Hardy, I do not have the detail, sir. I cannot answer you. I do not know. The CHAIRMAN. Well, if you cannot answer Mr. Hardy's question on that, we better strike it from the bill until you can answer it. Mr. FERRY. All right, sir. The CHAIRMAN. Without objection, it is stricken out of the bill. Mr. HARDY. Let me ask another question. I am not going to complain about this item one way or the other The CHAIRMAN. You get positive information to answer on every item in the bill. Not having the answer, take it out of the bill. Mr. HARDY. Let me ask a question about this whole base, Mr. Chairman. I notice in the inventory of this base you have $48 million and you estimate your future authorization at $70 million. So you are planning-although you are not going to change the strength levels at the base at all, you are proposing to spend $70 million more on a base as to which you only have about a third of its total cost, a little over a third of its total cost in. Therefore Mr. FERRY. I think it would be well to explain that as a general thing, not only as far as it touches on Norton, but any other base. We have an idealized master plan of future growth of all our bases. These master plans call for facilities which someday, with the concurrence of the Congress and with the appropriation of funds to be able to do it, we may expand. This figure here represents the ultimate expansion of the base if it is ever found desirable to expand it. Mr. HARDY. But that is an ultimate change in facilities without any change in personnel, according to your personnel strength figures up there. Mr. FERRY. These personnel strengths, sir, are current as of the present time, whereas Mr. HARDY. It says planned peacetime there, Mr. Ferry. What I am talking Mr. HARDY. Oh, you mean your planning as far as personnel is concerned only goes for 1 year, but your planning with respect to authorization goes on ad infinitum. Mr. FERRY. No, sir. Our planning is for 3 years on personnel and in the distant future is the master plan, which may never be achieved. Mr. HARDY. Well, when I look at a $70 million program down there for a base that was built in 1942 and your total inventory as of June of this year was $48 million-you got planning to do more than, well, one and a half times as much as you already have there, and you are not planning to change your personnel-I just wonder who is doing the planning in this whole business. Mr. FERRY. Well, sir, I think we are not quite hitting the point on this. We are not planning to expand this base. This is what it would cost if it ever did it, sir. Mr. HARDY. Then let us not put these fool figures in there if they do not mean anything. Mr. FERRY. But they have been asked for in the past-what is the ultimate cost of these bases if they were ever expanded to full capacity? This is a requirement placed on it. Mr. HARDY. I do not know what it means. The CHAIRMAN. Without objection, we will leave out Norton. Now the next one. Mr. SLATINSHEK. Page 171 of the backup book. "Robins Air Force Base, Macon, Ga.: Training facilities, maintenance facilities, supply facilities, and administrative facilities, $1,478,000." General CURTIN. Robins Air Force Base is the next location to be considered. It is located 1 mile east of Warner-Robins, Ga. The planned use of this base is for the Warner-Robins Air Materiel Area Headquarters, a logistical support squadron and a Strategic Air Command bomber mission. The total program being requested amounts to $1,478,000. Four items requested in this program are in support of the Strategic Air Command bomber mission for which construction was initiated through the fiscal year 1958 supplemental construction program. Nothing exists at Robins which could be utilized for these requested facilities. They include an addition to the existing Target Intelligence Building which will provide space for simulators for training SAC combat crews. Adequate maintenance of the aircraft at this base has established a requirement for a total of seven largetype maintenance docks. Four of these docks were included in a previous program. There will be a deficiency of one dock to be included in a future program. Additional armament and electronic shop space is required to handle the increased workload. A new headquarters building is needed to house the SAC wing functions of administration, maintenance, supply, operational-planning, and aircraft-control activities. The next base-type item provides for modification of an existing concrete building for a standard calibration lab. Robins has the responsibility for standards calibration and certification of test and calibration equipment for the Air Force activities located in this geographical area. The last item will provide additional storage for jet fuel. The requirement is 84,213 barrels. The existing 54,000 barrels is insufficient to satisfy the base requirement. This request will provide additional on-base storage to support the various base and SAC operational mission. The CHAIRMAN. Without objection, the item is approved. Mr. SLATINSHEK. Page 178 of the backup book Mr. HARDY. We got over that one in a hurry. Mr. SLATINSHEK. "Stockbridge Test Annex, Rome, N.Y.: Research, development, and test facilities, $2,653,000." General CURTIN. The next location is Stockbridge Test Annex located approximately 1 mile northeast of Merrillsville, N.Y. Planned use of this annex is in support of Rome Air Development Center, Griffiss Air Force Base. The total program being requested is $2,653,000 and involves one item for an electronics interference reduction lab. This facility is vital to satisfy the need for research in the fields of measuring electromagnetic interferences and evaluation of antijam capabilities of receivers. There is no facility at Griffiss Air Force Base, or in the vicinity, adequate to perform the tests. Space is required where outside sources will not interfere with the tests being conducted, or where equipment under tests will not interfere with other equipment which may be situated within its operational environment, such as operational radar or communications equipment and flight tests. The CHAIRMAN. Without objection, the item is approved. Mr. SLATINSHEK. Page 181 of your backup book. "Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma City, Okla.: Operational facilities, $1,032,000." General CURTIN. Tinker Air Force Base is the next location to be considered and is situated 1 mile south of Midwest City, Okla. The planned use of this base is for the Oklahoma City Air Materiel Area and other Continental Air Command and MATS activities. The program requested at Tinker AFB totals $1,032,000 and includes two items: The first item required is for a standard radar approach control centers (RAPCON) facility. The requirement for this navigational aid facility is 6,032 square feet. Air traffic control in the Oklahoma City terminal area is presently being accomplished in the overcrowded area (1,796 square feet) of a temporary addition to a maintenance hangar (building 240). The 6,034 square feet included in this request will provide the necessary space to permit the efficient operation of a full RAPCON facility. The last item provides for an addition to an existing logistical building to house the Tinker COMLOGNET (Combat Logistics Net work) switching and terminal center. The requirement for this function is 16,845 square feet. No space is available at Tinker AFB that could be converted for this use. The COMLOGNET is a consolidation of numerous existing communications networks to give the Air Force advanced high speed equipment and electronic data processing techniques for worldwide service. The failure to provide this centrally located major relay and switching center will preclude activation of the system in 1961 as scheduled. The CHAIRMAN. Without objection, the item is approved. Mr. KELLEHER. 181 for that. (Mr. Bates aside.) The CHAIRMAN. Go ahead. Mr. SLATINSHEK. Page 184 of your backup book. "Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio: Training facilities, maintenance facilities, research, development, and test facilities, and utilities, $1,810,000." General CURTIN. The last Air Materiel Command location to be considered is Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. This base is located 1 mile west of Fairborn, Ohio. The planned use of this base is for the headquarters of the Air Materiel Command, for the Wright Air Development Center Headquarters, the Air Force Institute of Technology, the Air Technical Intelligence Center, and a Strategic Air Command bomber mission. The total program requested for WrightPatterson Air Force Base amounts to $1,810,000 and comprises seven items as follows: Two of the items requested in this program are in support of the Strategic Air Command bomber mission for which construction was initiated through the fiscal year 1958 supplemental construction program. They include procurement and erection of two additional docks to be used for inspection and repair of the SAC bomber aircraft, and will substantially fill the outstanding deficiency at WrightPatterson. Adequate maintenance of the aircraft at this base has established a requirement for a total of seven large-type maintenance docks. Four of these docks were included in a previous program. There will be a deficiency of one dock to be included in a future program. Additional armament and electronics shop space is required to accommodate added functions due to an increase in electronics equipment assigned to the SAC mission aircraft. The items when constructed will complete the total requirement at this installation. The Polymer Research Lab is required to support the research and development mission program at Wright Air Development Center. An existing maintenance building will be converted into a laboratory to be used for polymer research. Polymer materials such as plastics, elastomers, fluids, lubricants, fiber, and high-energy propellants will be used in the complex development of advanced weapon systems. The requirement at Wright-Patterson for a high altitude training facility is 7,863 square feet. The existing 4,141 square feet is totally inadequate to provide the necessary training in ejection seat and parachute techniques, night visions, and pressure suit indoctrination. Personnel from a large geographical area will utilize these training aids. The requested 3,722 square feet will complete the requirement for such a facility at Wright-Patterson. |