General WILSON. I would like to proceed with this short statement. Mr. Chairman, and members of the committee, I would like to thank you for the opportunity to discuss the fiscal year 1961 Air National Guard construction authorization program. In order to acquaint you with our operation, however, I will first discuss our progress to date and then tell you of our plans for the future. The Air National Guard construction program provides facilities which support the operating programs established by Headquarters, U.S. Air Force. If possible, our facility needs are met by utilizing available military facilities. Where this is not possible, we must either lease or construct new facilities. Our aim has been to develop compact, economical, operating plants which will give us a maximum return in training for every tax dollar spent. We think we have succeeded in this endeavor. CHART 1. THE ANG FACILITY COMPLEX We have been before this committee many times, and I would like to give you a picture of one of our latest ones at Louisville, Ky. As you can see we have the aircraft parking apron, the hangar which has the lean-to's, the administrative part of it. We have the fire station, paint, dope, and oil storage, supply warehouses and other facilities to meet. This is our packaged standard plan for an Air National Guard facility. Senator STENNIS. That is a completed facility? General WILSON. That is a completed facility for one wing with one squadron and located on one base, sir. Senator STENNIS. You have what you need to carry out your assignment? General WILSON. To carry out our program. This photograph of the guard facilities at Louisville will serve to acquaint you with the typical complex we have standardized on where existing facilities are not available. This particular base has been under construction for the past 4 years and will be finished upon completion of the building you can see in the background. The facilities include ramp space; a hangar; crash and structural fire station; supply and issue building; motor vehice shop and parking area; paint, oil, and dope storage building; fuel storage; operations and training building; private vehicle parking area; and the necessary roads and utilities. This represents an investment of about $3 million and we feel is an excellent compromise between cost, effectiveness, and efficiency. CHART 2. PRESENT FACILITIES Flying bases-we are currently operating 94 bases. They are located on municipal fields, State fields, Air Force bases, private fields and Navy bases. Thirty-eight of the ninety-four bases are in joint use with Navy, Air Force Reserve units, and also the others are in joint use with civil agencies such as the normal civilian operations off of the base. 54781-60- -34 In addition to that, we have some 42 nonflying bases for our aircraft control and warning radio relay communication construction squadrons. Senator STENNIS. That is impressive, that your 74 units would be on 71 municipal fields. General WILSON. That is correct, sir. Senator STENNIS. And in two States? General WILSON. That is correct, they are owned by the States. To give you an idea of our progress, since fiscal year 1947 the Air National Guard has spent approximately $230 million for construction. Through fiscal year 1959 our obligation rate has averaged 97.44 percent, which is an excellent record. Several years ago, we estimated that the basic facilities at all of our bases on the then established program could be modernized by 1963 at a cost of $276 million. Due to changes in programs and increases in construction costs our now projected program has increased to a planned $292 million. It will therefore be necessary to extend our goal to 1964 and beyond in order to maintain realistic yearly construction programs in the neighborhood of $15 million. Completion of this program will insure that each ANG unit has modern, well equipped facilities with which to perform its mission. For the period 1961 through 1964, we will require construction costing approximately $62 million to meet known requirements. This construction will include runway extensions and aprons for latemodel, high-performance aircraft, installation of aircraft arresting barriers, replacement of World War II temporary construction, maintenance facilities, such as hangers and jet engine maintenance shops, and combined administrative training buildings. Earlier in our presentation before the House Armed Services Committee our fiscal year 1961 construction program amounted to $7 million. Subsequent to my appearance, certain adjustments have been recommended in the Air Defense structure. The impact of these adjustments on the regular Air Force has been explained to you by Secretary Charyk. Similarly certain additional requirements will be generated in the Air National Guard military construction program as a result of this action. These actions have necessitated revisions in construction and funding requirements emphasized by the recent proposed accelerated conversion to F-102 and F-104 fighter interceptor aircraft. Conversion of specific units for this revised program has not been completely determined. Consequently we are requesting certain items under various locations rather than by specific location. In this light we are requesting aircraft weapons electronics calibration shops at 14 various locations, rocket storage and assembly facilities at 8 various locations. We also estimate that six additional facilities will require modification of present rocket storage facilities. Also we are requesting that authorization be provided for the relocation of five maintenance docks presently excess to the needs of the regular establishment. These projects in the total amount of $6,185,000 have been submitted to the Office of the Secretary of Defense. In summary let me state that we have had a most effective and adequate construction program in the past. We have been able to meet the demands of program changes and accelerated conversions through a well-planned requirements program. The success of our entire program is greatly attributed to the fine support and understanding of this committee. Like the regular establishment however, our program is subject to changes in missions and equipment which generate revised construction and funding requirements highlighted by our recent conversion to century series and cargo-type aircraft. For this reason it is important that we maintain a current appraisal of our missions and essential support. The program before you was developed on this basis and concept. If you have any questions, I am at your service. (The charts referred to follow :) A.C. & W.-radio relay-communications construction squadron__. Summary Completed and in progress through fiscal year 1960_. Programed (fiscal year 1961) – Fiscal year 1962 through fiscal year 1964_. Total cost--. Add-on___ Total, fiscal year 1961--- 194 42 Millions $230.0 7.2 55.0 292.2 6.2 13. 4 138 Joint Use (Navy-AF-Reserve). Senator STENNIS. While you have those figures up here, what do you designate as add-on now, $6.2 million? That was the new part of your program? General WILSON. Yes, sir, that is the part that is not at an exact location, sir, is not firm at this time. As happened in the last month, I think your committee here is familiar with the testimony. Senator STENNIS. Yes, we have had that, but we will run into trouble now unless we have a firm-up of these locations. What can you do about it? General WILSON. Well, I have the locations that I have suggested. Since we are tied very close to the Air Defense Command, I am trying to get their approval of these locations or any recommended changes that they would like. Senator STENNIS. Mr. Clerk, let them know that we want to know about these locations. They say it is part of the Air Defense now. Let's see. Senator ENGLE. How does it happen that you are going into a construction program here with various airports listed, I see quite a list of them, over $7 million worth, and yet we are giving up airports all over the country. It seems to me that it is rather strange that we have to be building others when we are dropping airbases. General WILSON. That would be a fine idea to move them, but remember reservists you can't pick up and move. You are located at a base. You have spent millions of dollars training people. You have already got facilities in these bases. With the exception of one place all of these are modifications to existing facilities that are already there with people, trained and ready to go. This is just bringing them up to date; if you could move reservists and pick them up and move them and say "You get a job in this community," then we could use existing facilities, but where you can't, you have already got the facilities in existence, with the exception of one in this program we are modifying existing facilities due to change. in missions. Senator STENNIS. You have to take your program to the men rather than the men to your program. General WILSON. Remember you are depending on their availability to make your program flexible. Senator ENGLE. Which one is the one you are building? General WILSON. The only one that is new in this program is Jackson, Miss., where we have had a unit that has been located on Hawkins Field, which we have never built at present a single facility there. The airport by order of the Joint Use Airport Panel of the FAA and Department of Defense, the Department of the Air Force, that there will be no Federal money expended on that field, that they must build a new one. The new one is under construction, and this is something that we have had programed at the time that the new facility was available to meet our requirements for the unit we presently have at Jackson. Senator STENNIS. In other words, the city is building an entirely new municipal airport? General WILSON. That is correct, sir. Senator STENNIS. And the old one won't be available because they are really using it to help finance the new one, I mean the real estate. General WILSON. Yes, sir. Senator ENGLE. They are making a housing development out of it, aren't they? Senator STENNIS. I don't know what they are making but they are going to sell it for a substantial part of the cost of the new one, but the new one will run up into big money. General WILSON. Yes; we never built any facility at the old airport. This is the first facility we have built for this unit since it has been going, in almost 6 years. Senator ENGLE. What airplanes do you use? General WILSON. Right now we have in the guard, we will take the latest one, the F-104, F-102 is coming this year, we have F-100's, F-89J's, F-86VL's, we have the 84F, the RB-57, the C-119, the C-123 and C-97 heavy transports, C-47's, pretty much the gauntlet of what is in the active Air Force. Senator STENNIS. Senator Cannon? Senator CANNON. What are you using for this Air Med squadron? General WILSON. That is equipped with the C-119, sir. Senator CANNON. What is the total cost of that installation? General WILSON. The total cost of that is going to run we estimate around $2.6 million. Senator CANNON. And aren't there any other military facilities there in that general area that are being given up now? General WILSON: No; there is not. Senator STENNIS. You mean Jackson? General WILSON. In the Jackson area; yes. Senator CANNON. How many installations is the Air Force giving up this year? General WILSON. I am not familiar with that; in that I know of none that would be in the vicinity of Jackson. We have some 600 people, officers and men in the unit there. I now know of no facility available in that area where they could be moved. Senator CANNON. How long has this unit been in operation? We are not buying any land, and we have the free right and use of the field at no cost. Senator CANNON. I have nothing further. Senator STENNIS. I know you had a hangar. It is not involved in this bill now, but your hangar that you need so badly in Honolulu; do you have something on that new this year? General WILSON. Yes; that hangar went under contract on a reduced scope within the amount of money that we had. Senator STENNIS. You have gotten that disposed of? General WILSON. It is all cleared; yes, sir. Senator STENNIS. Is there any other point that you want to bring out here? General WILSON. No, sir; except to thank this committee for its fine attention that it has given the Air Guard. We think we have got something that you can be proud of. I think the guard has been leading the way for quite a few years, for several years in using the training dollar, not only to train but also to carry on active Air Force missions in peacetime. Senator ENGLE. Would you tell me how long do these fellows maintain their competence, their combat capability? It seems to me that after a fellow gets along a ways he is not going to do so well in those high performance airplanes? General WILSON. Well, you have a law now called Reserve Officer Personnel Act, under that a guy is promoted out of the guard unit when he reaches a certain age and years of service and you have to bring in some from the bottom. For example the average age of our tactical pilots flying the jets is 28.9 years which is just about the same as the active establishment. It has decreased from 32.1 in 1954 to around 28. It will vary between 28 and 30 which we think is a fine age. |