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Lucas Reacts to Oklahoma BRAC Success

Date: May 13, 2005
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Defense


LUCAS REACTS TO OKLAHOMA BRAC SUCCESS
May 13, 2005

Washington, D.C.- U.S. Third District Congressman Frank Lucas made the following statement in response to Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld's announcement today of his recommendations to the Base Realignment and Closure Commission. The Secretary recommended no closures for either Altus Air Force Base or Vance Air Force Base in Enid:

"Hallelujah!

"The residents of Enid and Altus have gone through a tremendous amount of anxiety over the fate of their communities, and I'm ecstatic to learn that Secretary Rumsfeld agrees with me, that these two bases are fulfilling the military's mission efficiently and effectively, and should remain open.

"Vance Air Force Base would expand its pilot training mission under the Secretary's recommendation, resulting in an additional 99 civilian and military jobs for the base. That's fantastic news for Vance, and we'll continue to make that case to the BRAC Commission over the next four months.

"Altus Air Force Base does not lose a single civilian job, or a single plane. All of Altus' major base missions remain. This is definitely a vote of confidence from Rumsfeld in Altus' status as the premier Air Force base for heavy lifter and tanker training. The planes will still be flying at Altus, and the base will be fulfilling the military's mission for years to come.

"The Secretary recommended that 16 military jobs of Altus' 4680 total jobs be realigned, which amounts to a change of only about .3 percent. So we're all breathing a big sigh of relief in Altus.

"These recommendations are far better than our worst fears, so we're in very good shape going into the BRAC Commission deliberations."

"This has been a long difficult journey, and I'm absolutely thrilled about the Secretary's announcement, but our work is not done yet. We will make sure the BRAC Commission agrees with these recommendations, to ensure that we don't have a chance of being put on the list. This is a great day for Enid and Altus."

http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/ok03_lucas/bracdodreaction.html

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