Air Force move could impact Mat-Su

PALMER — The Air Force has organized a public meeting Monday to gather input from Mat-Su residents about a proposal to move F-16s from Fairbanks to Anchorage.

“The proposed relocation includes removing 623 military personnel from (Eielson Air Force Base), transferring approximately 542 positions to (Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson), and eliminating 81 positions. The Air Force proposes an additional reduction of approximately 749 military authorizations and approximately 179 civilian authorizations at EAFB appropriate to the command structure required for the remaining operations,” according to a flier announcing the public hearing.

Those positions are what the Air Force needs to fly and service the 21 F-16s that make up the Eielson squadron.

Mat-Su officials from Palmer Mayor DeLena Johnson to Wasilla City Administrator Bert Cottle already have spoken publicly about the need for Mat-Su to plan for this potential influx of new residents.

Though JBER is in Anchorage, many of its employees already live in the Valley. Adding 542 new people to the roster at JBER will more than likely add population here, officials say.

The move also is hotly contested. A group formed to oppose the move has estimated on its Facebook page that 17 percent of the economy of the Fairbanks North Star Borough is based on Eielson and the income of the people who work there.

All three members of Alaska’s Congressional oppose the move.

“While I am gratified the Air Force plans to keep the F-16 Aggressor Squadron in Alaska, I believe its rightful home is Eielson Air Force Base,” Murkowski said in a statement in February.

“A decision to relocate the F-16s from Eielson was already rejected in 2005, when the independent BRAC Commission overturned the Air Force’s recommendation, recognizing Eielson has the best airspace and range complexes and the estimated costs savings were inaccurate. Nothing has changed since 2005. Eielson Air Force Base is critical to the defense of the United States,” Begich said in a statement issued around the same time.

“I believe Fairbanks has a vital role in America’s military future and quite frankly serves as the northern anchor of the Pacific Rim and this country’s gateway to the Arctic,” Don Young said, then, too.

The meeting is scheduled for Monday at 6 p.m. in the Hoskins Building on the Alaska State Fairgrounds.

For more information, visit alaskaf-16eis.com.

Contact Andrew Wellner at 352-2270 or andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com.