AIR NATIONAL GUARD FACILITIES ANALYSIS, FEBRUARY 1959

CHART NO. 1.-Real estate acquisition

Expansion only when land furnished by Federal license, Federal lease, or by States on long-term lease at nominal consideration.

General WILSON. I would like to call attention to the fact that chart 4 attached to my statement, gives you an idea of the progress that we have made in the construction for the Air Guard, and I don't think this progress could have been made at all if it had not been for the fine support that we have gotten from this committee in helping us with our plan.

We will have obligated by the end of this year some $209 million for Air National Guard facilities. As you know, we are operating from 94 flying bases around the country and we also have 41 nonflying bases. This year we are requesting sums in the amount of $15.5 million authorizations, sir.

We have a carryover from last year of $2.9 million. And our estimate to complete our construction program on a phase basis will be approximately $67 million.

Senator STENNIS. How much?

General WILSON. $67 million, sir.

We phrase our construction based on our requirements as the aircraft are phased in, we phase our runways and parking so that they are available at the time we get the aircraft. Sometimes there are changes and we get the aircraft a little early but we still base it on our program.

On our other facilities we base our facility requirements on the growth of the units and they are not built until we need those facilities.

I think we have had one of the finest construction programs in the Air National Guard of any of the reserve components and I think the mark on that is we have very few complaints from the States.

So we are asking this year for $15.5 million. I would not be completely honest if I didn't say that in the last few days there has been some question on Bethel, Minn., which is a new base, the only new base that the Guard has ever proposed. Since I appeared before the House Armed Services Committee, there has been some discussion as to whether the requirement will exist in the future years.

BETHEL AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, BETHEL,
MINN., ($4,963,000)

Senator STENNIS. What do you mean, the requirement?

General WILSON. The requirement for this new base as a fighter interceptor base. Mr. Douglas, the Secretary of the Air Force, met with Mr. Humphrey and discussed this last Tuesday. He has asked for a restudy of it, and I would like, Mr. Chairman, if this base becomes where it is not a requirement that I be able to come back to this committee later on for the record anyway that you would like, and submit some substitute items in our overall long-range requirement to take up this amount of money, sir.

Senator STENNIS. You already have in your hip pocket an additional list.

I know it won't take long to do that, will it?

General WILSON. No, sir.

Senator CANNON. I would just like to say, General, if there is any question about the need or future requirement for that base, you are requesting a lot of money here to go into it.

I would take a pretty careful look at that.

General WILSON. This is one base, sir, it is the first time that the Air Guard has been involved in the building of a complete new base. Senator STENNIS. Let's turn over to pages 9 to 12 to see what the full picture is.

We might find out what the future would be too.

General WILSON. The estimate of that base, sir, based on the present soil conditions, and that was a restudy that was just completed in the last few days for light pavement, is some $18.9 million.

Senator STENNIS. That is total cost.

General WILSON. Total cost, that is, as of the present estimate. Senator STENNIS. You are starting from scratch to build this? General WILSON. Yes; this base was conceived and recommended 14 miles northeast of Minneapolis-St. Paul to be a complete new base.

It would also have in addition to the Air National Guard, the Naval Reserve, but the guard was charged with the responsibility by the Department of Defense of building all the common items such as runways, taxiways, and their own facilities, and the Navy would put their own facilities on it.

That is being restudied and it should be restudied within the next few days and should be really determined, sir.

Senator STENNIS. Here on page 9 you put down the $4,963,000.
General WILSON. Yes, sir.

Senator STENNIS. Then you don't supply a figure here for estimated future requirements?

General WILSON. The main reason there, sir, is that we did not have the actual cost other than that one area at the time this was submitted. Senator STENNIS. Give it to us now.

General WILSON. $18.9 million, sir.

Senator STENNIS. That is the additional authorization you expect to request?

General WILSON. The total cost would be $18.9 million, which would make it additional above this of $13.4 million.

Senator STENNIS. The grand total would be $18 million something? General WILSON. Yes, sir.

Senator STENNIS. That is what I wanted to get anyway. This is bound to have had your approval or it wouldn't be in here.

Did you originate the idea of this base? Is that your judgment? General WILSON. At the time that this base was considered, it was based on the removal of the jet interceptor aircraft from WoldChamberlain Airbase there in the Minneapolis-St. Paul complex. As you know, the airport is completely surrounded by population area. The Navy was operating jets and the guard was operating jets off of the field, and it was determined by the Secretary of the Air Force at that time, Mr. Quarles, and later by Mr. Douglas, that the best thing to do was to remove the jets from the field and come up with a joint-use facility for the Air Guard and the Navy, sir.

Now since that time, there are certain changes in the air defense picture with the advancement of you might say the state of the art, the use of the Bomarc which was also discussed here the other day, and the high performance 106's and the 101-B aircraft where they are looking right now to see whether this requirement still exists for this unit to remain in a fighter-interceptor role.

Because with the additional firepower of the atomic capability equipment, it also reduces the requirement for this type of a unit, and it will possibly mean the conversion of the guard unit to an aircraft that is compatible with the commercial operation and to use the Air Force-owned facility_on Wold-Chamberlain, sir.

Senator STENNIS. You mean one that works in with your local situation?

General WILSON. Yes, such as an Air-Evac with C-13's or possibly a transport with C-123's or possibly a tanker which uses the C-97, sir. Senator STENNIS. If you spend this $5 million, you would have to spend almost that much next year?

General WILSON. That is correct. It was supposed to be a program phased over 3 years to be completed at the end of fiscal year 1962. Senator STENNIS. Are there any other items here?

Give us enough of these line items to give us an idea of how they are running.

General WILSON. All right, sir; for example, take Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark.

ALPENA COUNTY AIRPORT, MICH. ($105,000)

Senator STENNIS. Let's start at page 1, the "Tower control."

General WILSON. This is a control tower at Alpena Airport which is a permanent training site where some 11 States trained during the summertime. We have had a tower that has been condemned and this is a replacement.

NEW ORLEANS NAS, NEW ORLEANS, LA. ($274,000)

At Alvin Calendar, we built an apron there for F-51's. We are now converted to jets. The size of the apron has to be increased due to the different configuration of the aircraft.

Senator STENNIS. Isn't there a large Reserve Air Force there?

General WILSON. This is on the joint facilities; yes, sir. Alvin Calendar is a joint facility.

Senator STENNIS. The reason I thought it might be, you show a total of $3 million that has been spent here.

General WILSON. That is only an Air Guard.

Senator STENNIS. But you are way up to $20-odd million by Air Reserve; isn't that so?

General WILSON. I don't know, sir. The Navy was the lowest on that base. That is a naval base and I think the total cost was up to about that figure.

That is a joint use facility, sir.

Senator STENNIS. All right, next item?

BAER FIELD, FORT WAYNE, IND. ($238,000)

General WILSON. Baer Field is the extension of a runway. Here again we are converting. We have converted these to later model jets and we have to have the runways as we go into higher performance aircraft.

Senator STENNIS. What do you call those jets that you use now, T-something isn't it?

General WILSON. T-33's. We use the T-33 which is the standard instrument trainer in the Air Force as well as in the Air Guard. You might be interested to know, Mr. Chairman, that at present we are completely equipped with jets in all of our tactical units.

We have received our first supersonic of 100's, then in the last year we had two squadrons. We have the third one coming in in June, sir, in fact we have converted some 72 squadrons to later and much higher performance aircraft in the past 2 years.

This has been the largest conversion we have ever had in the guard program, sir.

Bethel, Minn., was the one I was just discussing.

Senator STENNIS. Turn over to page 13, what is this "operational A.C. & W."? What does that mean?

BUCKLEY NAS, DENVER, COLO. ($426,000)

General WILSON. This is an operational facility for an aircraft control and warning unit that at the present time is standing alert for the Air Defense Command.

It is operating 24 hours a day 7 days a week and filling a gap in the active air defense. In addition to using the training dollars for training the people, it is also going to do double duty in performing the mission for the Air Force, and that is a facility to put it in.

They are presently in World War II type tarpaper covered buildings, and this goes in along with our phased construction to bring them up to the facilities that they should have for proper training. Senator STENNIS. All right, page 15.

BURLINGTON MUNICIPAL AIRPORT, VT. ($123,000)

General WILSON. This is Burlington, Vt. This unit has been converted from a single engine jet fighter to the F-89D, which is a twoengine jet fighter with afterburner. The hangar and shops that were built 5 years ago were built for smaller engines.