WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Pete Domenici and Jeff Bingaman today expressed their disappointment in the Pentagon's plans to retire F-117 stealth fighters based at Holloman Air Force Base in Alamogordo by FY2008.
The plans were made public when the Defense Department released its FY2007 budget Monday. The proposed defense budget seeks to retire 10 aircraft, with the remaining stealth fighters planned to be retired in FY2008. Domenici and Bingaman have worked together in past years to prohibit retirement of the aircraft through the legislative process.
Holloman Air Force Base was not targeted during the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure process and has been lauded by DoD officials for its facilities, weather and proximity to Fort Bliss in El Paso.
Domenici and Bingaman pledged a thorough review of the Air Force's plans. The Senators will seek to find out why the Pentagon has compressed it's timeframe for F-117 retirements, and will seek to ensure that the aircraft are not retired until a replacement mission for Holloman has been identified.
``Today's news is certainly disappointing, but I know that Holloman Air Force Base is an excellent facility that will play a major role in the future. We will work hard to ensure that the base continues to have an important mission, and we will be seeking answers about the timeline of retirements and future plans with the Air Force," said Domenici, who serves on the Senate Defense Appropriations Committee which funds the Department of Defense.
``Holloman Air Force Base will continue to be an essential part of our national defense. The only questions that remain are: what will replace the F-117 and when will the transition take place? We will work very hard with the Pentagon to ensure that the transition is seamless, and that the impact on the community is minimal," Bingaman said.
Last year, Domenici and Bingaman successfully included language in the FY2006 Defense Authorization and Appropriations bills that prohibited retirement of the F-117 Stealth Fighter. Previous Pentagon requests have called for a retirement of the aircraft by 2011.
According to Holloman officials, the Air Force has already sent a team to Holloman Air Force Base to consider its suitability for the F-22, which could be a possible replacement for the F-117, though no decision has been made.
Holloman has previously transitioned from the F-4 and the F-15 before receiving the F-117 as its mission.
Seems like a very short "life-span" for such an expensive aircraft?
