DCN 1622 482nd Fighter Wing 3 0 1st Rescuesquadron 726th Air Control Squadron HOMESTEAD Air Reserve Base Homestead, Florida Merrill Beyer (Air Force DoD Analyst) Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission HOMESTEAD AIR RESERVE BASE, FL TABLE OF CONTENTS ITEM SECTION Summary Sheets/ DoD Recommendation................................................................... 1 482nd Fighter Wing (AFRES) 301st Rescue Squadron (AFRES) 726th Air Control Squadron Base Fact Sheet .............................................................................................................. 2 State Installation MapIData .........................................................................................3 Regional HearingIBase Visit ........................................................................................ 4 w Installation Questionnaire............................................................................................ 5 COBRA Justification (Focused/Level Playing Field) ................................................6 482nd Fighter Wing (AFRES) 30 1st Rescue Squadron (AFRES) 726th Air Control Squadron Congressional Inquires/Responses ..............................................................................7 Community Inputs/Responses .....................................................................................8 Background Papers, State Closure History, News Articles ...................................... 9 AddIFinal Deliberation Heraings ..............................................................................10 DRAFT DEFENSE BASE CLOSURE AND REALIGNMENT COMMISSION SUMMARY SHEET 482nd Fighter Wing (AFRES) HOMESTEAD AIR RESERVE BASE. FLORIDA INSTALLATION MISSION Air Force Reserves (AFRES) Base. 482nd Fighter Wing (AFRES), F-16AIB operations; 301st Rescue Squadron (AFRES), HC-130N and HH-60G operations (temporarily relocated to Patrick AFB, FL); and Det. 1, 125th Fighter Group (FL ANG, NORAD), F-16 air defense operations. Devastated by Hurricane Andrew in Aug 92 and is still under reconstruction. AFRES unit facilities in cantonment area only--BX available with "BX-Mart" instead of commissary. DOD RECOMMENDATION: None COMMISSION ALTERNATIVE Consider Homestead ARB for closure in addition to or as a substitute for Bergstrom ARB. Deactivate the 482nd Fighter Wing (AFRES). JUSTIFICATION Commission analysis revealed that the Air Force used misleading base operating cost data in their "level playing field" COBRA model in evaluating Bergstrom ARB. This data included C excess costs to operate facilities outside the cantonment area. These excess costs may have lead to false conclusions in selecting Bergstrom ARB for closure. STAFF COMMENTS a Air Force used operating cost data as a primary factor in determining the Air Force Reserve closure recommendation. The Air Force Reserve has more F- 16 operating locations than necessary to support the Reserve F- 16 aircraft in the DoD Force Structure Plan. a To execute this alternative, the DoD recommendation to Redirect the 301st Rescue Squadron (AFRES) to Patrick AFB must be approved first. This redirect is a change to the 1993 Commission recommendation to relocate the unit back to Homestead from Patrick AFB, its current temporary location. Due to the destruction of Homestead by Hurricane Andrew in Aug 92, the 301st Rescue Squadron (AFRES) moved temporarily to Patrick and the 482nd moved temporarily to MacDill. Subsequently, the 93 Commission non-concurred with the Secretary of Defense recommendation to close Homestead and leave the two units at their temporary locations, and instead recommended the realignment of Homestead as an Air Reserve Base. Rebuilding and construction of unit facilities is underway at Homestead. Cost of MILCON is covered under the FY 92 Supplemental. -- The 482nd FW returned in Mar 94, their facilities are virtually complete. DRAFT DRAFT -- The 301st RQS will return once their facilities are rebuilt (approx. FY 9711). Planning is underway, MILCON has yet to commence. V -- Construction of 4821301 consolidated facilities awaits the outcome of this round. COST CONSIDERATIONS One-Time Costs: $12.6 million Net Costs (Savings) During Implementation: ($64.7 million) Annual Recurring Savings: $17.3 million Return on Investment Year: 1998 (1 Year) Net Present Value Over 20 Years: $228.6 million MANPOWER IMPLICATIONS OF THIS RECOMMENDATION (EXCLUDES CONTRACTORS) Military Civilian Students Baseline 0 584 0 Reductions 0 247 Realignments 0 127 Total: 0 374 MANPOWER IMPLICATIONS OF ALL RECOMMENDATIONS AFFECTING THIS INSTALLATION (INCLUDES ON-BASE CONTRACTORS AND STUDENTS) Out In Net Gain (Loss) Recommendation Military Civilian Military Civilian Military Civilian Homestead 61 1,231 0 0 (61) (1,231) ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS Environmental impact from this action is minimal at Homestead ARB. Non-attainment area for Ozone (moderate). REPRESENTATION Senators: Bob Graham Connie Mack Representative: Carrie Meek (1 7), Homestead Governor: Lawton Chiles ECONOMIC IMPACT Potential Employment Loss (1 996-200 1): 2,098 jobs (1,292 direct1806 indirect) Miami, FL MSA Job Base: 1,064,241 Job Change: 0.2 percent decrease Cumulative Economic Impact (1994-2001): 0.2 percent decrease DRAFT MILITARY ISSUES Review of demographic data projects no negative impact on recruiting. $4.5 million MILCON at Patrick listed in COBRA for unit facilities is an Air Force expense. Hurricane Andrew supplemental appropriations for rebuilding Homestead cover the cost of building a reserve cantonment area. The nature of this appropriation, however, does not permit the Air Force to receive a "Cost Avoidance" for not building facilities specifically for the 301 st Rescue Squadron (AFRES) at Homestead. Homestead remains the host of the 482nd Fighter Wing (AFRES). Military usefulness of Homestead as an Air Reserve Base: -- ACC uses Homestead as the site for a series (normally two each month) of Weapons Training Deployments: week-long deployments of typically 6-24 F-15s or F- 16s. These deployments are used by ACC to take advantage of the abundant and congestion-free South Florida supersonic over-water airspace and the Avon Park air-to-ground gunnery range. -- Homestead occupies an important geographic location as a well-positioned staging point for operations throughout the Caribbean and Latin America. -- Numerous other DoD and Federal Agency activities are lining-up to move into the base, including the Navy/USMC for frequent training exercises, US Customs, and DEA. Det. 1, 125th Fighter Group (FL ANG, NORAD), is currently conducting F- 16 air defense operations from a temporary location at Naval Air Station Key West, FL. The unit will return to Homestead upon restoration of its NORAD alert facility by the end of the year. COMMUNITY CONCERNSnSSUES The redirect of the 301 st will lead to the closure of the base. The economic impact on the small Homestead community is much greater than what is shown by using the Miami MSA. The Redirect represents the loss of hundreds of returning full-time Air Reserve Technicians (ARTS) residents now, and the loss of part-time Reservists in the long-term. Military value of the base: it has frequently served as & key facility in support of operations in the Caribbean and Latin America. Also, there exists in South Florida an abundance of airspace, training routes and ranges that will likely be lost if the base closes. The community is committed to converting the base into its municipal airport. ITEMS OF SPECIAL EMPHASIS The 93 Commission also found that it would be more economical for Dade County to operate Homestead as a civil airport with AFRES units as tenants on the base. DoD announced on March 30, 1995 that Miami will be the new home of the Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), currently located at Quarry Heights, Panama. The actual site has not been selected. Dade County will provide a $1.4 million annual subsidy to underwrite Air Force base operating support costs. By the year 2000, support will be 5 1 percent. Merrill BeyerIAir Force TedJune 23, 1995 -3- DRAFT DRAFT DEFENSE BASE CLOSURE AND REALIGNMENT COMMISSION SUMMARY SHEET 301st Rescue Squadron (AFRES) HOMESTEAD AIR RESERVE BASE. FLORIDA INSTALLATION MISSION Air Force Reserves (AFRES) Base. 482nd Fighter Wing (AFRES), F-1 6A/B operations; 301 st Rescue Squadron (AFRES), HC-130N and HH-60G operations (temporarily relocated to Patrick AFB, FL); and Det. 1, 125th Fighter Group (FL ANG, NORAD), F-16 air defense operations. Devastated by Hurricane Andrew in Aug 92 and is still under reconstruction. AFRES unit facilities in cantonment area only--BX available with "BX-Mart" instead of commissary. DOD RECOMMENDATION 301 st Rescue Squadron (AFRES): Redirect. Change the recommendation of the 1993 Commission as follows: Redirect the unit to relocate to Patrick AFB, its current temporary location. DOD JUSTIFICATION As part of the initiative to have Reserve forces assume a greater role in DoD peacetime missions, the 301st Rescue Squadron (AFRES) has assumed primary responsibility for Space Shuttle support and range clearing operations at Patrick AFB, FL. This tasking reduces mission load on the active duty force structure. Although the unit could perform these missions from Homestead, remaining at Patrick eliminates $1 Mlyear for TDY arrangements (scheduling, extra duty time for travel, transportation costs, etc.) and avoids unnecessary dislocation of the unit. Due to the destruction of Homestead by Hurricane Andrew in Aug 92, the 301 st Rescue Squadron (AFRES) moved temporarily to Patrick. Subsequently, the 93 Commission