Fighter jets will stay at Eielson

MAT-SU — Alaska’s congressional delegation universally hailed the U.S. Air Force’s decision to keep a squadron of F-16 fighter jets at Eielson Air Force Base in Fairbanks.

According to a press release from Sen. Mark Begich issued Wednesday, the Air Force, after the Alaska delegation “grilled” them in multiple hearings, backed away from a plan to relocate the planes to Anchorage.

The move had been of interest to Valley decision-makers under the logical assumption, given the housing rates of active military here, that new personnel transferred from Fairbanks would likely settle in appreciable numbers in Mat-Su.

But Fairbanks opposed the move, worried about the impact it would have on the city’s economy. The delegation mentioned that the argument also was made from a military readiness standpoint, that the base was needed to respond to threats in the Pacific.

“Alaska’s people and position make it a valuable — perhaps the most valuable — asset for emerging threats in the Pacific region, and that ‘America Needs Eielson,’” Sen. Lisa Murkowski wrote in a press release.

“I’m glad the Air Force finally did its homework and came to the conclusion that this move made no sense,” Begich said in the same release.

“The announcement to keep the F-16s at Eielson is a victory for Alaska and a victory for the Air Force,” Rep. Don Young added.