Go West AFSOC, Go West
AFSOC Finally Has Its Long-Desired Western Facility.
In September 2005, the Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) recommended closing Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico, unless a new mission for the base could be identified by December 31, 2009. In June 2006, the DoD announced that AFSOC would establish a new mission there and the command would take ownership of the base on October 1, 2007.
As a result, Cannon Air Force Base will remain open. While DoD has satisfied the intent of the recommendation by finding a new mission for the base, this BRAC recommendation was unusual because it contained a contingency clause. As a result the Government Accountability Office recently reviewed DoD’s implementation of this recommendation under the authority of the comptroller general to conduct evaluations on his own initiative.
To determine the factors underpinning the decision to establish an AFSOC mission at Cannon Air Force Base, the GAO interviewed officials involved in the decision-making process from the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force, Installations, Environment and Logistics; the United States Special Operations Command; and the Air Force Special Operations Command. In addition, it reviewed Air Force documents that described efforts to identify a new mission for Cannon Air Force Base and AFSOC site evaluations and analyses of potential locations for AFSOC missions.
To provide information on costs, the GAO reviewed the planned military construction and operations and maintenance funding required for AFSOC units to operate at Cannon Air Force Base. In addition, it reviewed Special Operations Command, AFSOC, and Air Combat Command cost estimates and financial data and interviewed Special Operations Command and AFSOC officials. Based on these discussions and observations, the GAO believes, “… the DoD data are sufficiently reliable.”
To provide timeline information on moving personnel to Cannon Air Force Base, the GAO reviewed Special Operations Command personnel information and AFSOC site survey data and interviewed Special Operations Command and AFSOC officials. Finally, they met with State of New Mexico and community officials to obtain information on the state’s efforts to assist in the reuse of Cannon.
AFSOC’S DESIRE FOR ANOTHER LOCATION
According to AFSOC officials, in recent years it was becoming increasingly apparent that Hurlburt Field, Fla., was nearing full capacity of its ramp and hangar space. In addition, these officials reported that they were having an increasingly difficult time scheduling training time at the adjacent training range at Eglin Air Force Base. The officials said that these constraints were likely to intensify because Eglin was expecting to have additional demands placed on it as a result of (1) decisions to locate more aircraft (such as the Joint Strike Fighter) there and (2) the 2006 Quadrennial Defense Review call for growth in the AFSOC mission. Specifically, the 2006 Quadrennial Defense Review proposed increasing the Special Operations Forces by 15 percent and establishing an unmanned aerial vehicle squadron under U.S. Special Operations Command.
Starting in October 2005, AFSOC examined three alternatives to address the lack of existing capacity at Hurlburt Field and the anticipated increase in the AFSOC mission as proposed in the 2006 Quadrennial Defense Review. The three alternatives were:
- Increasing capacity at Hurlburt Field
- Establishing an AFSOC mission at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz.
- Establishing an AFSOC mission at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M.
Establishing an AFSOC mission in New Mexico was in line with an interest AFSOC had expressed in the mid-1990s. According to AFSOC officials, a western United States location would provide additional training opportunities for AFSOC and other special operations forces.
COST AND TIMELINE OF AFSOC’S MOVE
AFSOC took ownership of Cannon Air Force Base on October 1, 2007, and plans to spend about $516.6 million to establish the mission over the next six years.
First, DoD has programmed about $283.3 million in fiscal years 2008 through 2013 for military construction projects. Second, AFSOC has identified a need for about $233 million in additional funding that has yet to be programmed. These funds are needed primarily to construct new or modify existing mission-related facilities to accommodate aircraft that are larger and more varied than the smaller aircraft previously located at the base.
In addition, AFSOC originally projected that about 5,700 personnel would be located at Cannon by the end of fiscal year 2010. However, because of funding constraints, the decision to move about 1,400 is under review by DoD. Moreover, the expected number and pace of personnel growth may change further because AFSOC plans to bring fewer aircraft to Cannon than originally projected.
FUNDING REQUIREMENTS
AFSOC anticipates spending about $516.6 million to locate the AFSOC units but has programmed only about $283.3 million in military construction funds from fiscal years 2008 through 2013. GAO analysis indicates that about $201 million (71 percent) of these funds were originally programmed to build facilities at other locations that will now be built at Cannon based on the decision to move some AFSOC units to the base. For example, $11.2 million was programmed to construct a special operations squadron and maintenance facility and $15.5 million was programmed to construct a corrosion control hangar at other locations, but these projects were moved to Cannon. The remaining $82 million in programmed funds were to construct or modify existing support facilities at Cannon. For example, the Air Force had already programmed $8.1 million in fiscal year 2011 to construct a new dormitory.
Along with the programmed funding, additional military construction, operation and maintenance, and procurement totaling $233.3 million had not been programmed at the time of the GAO report. This additional funding is to construct new or modify existing facilities and infrastructure to accommodate AFSOC’s mission.
AFSOC has identified a need for $123.5 million more in military construction funds for projects such as an aircraft washing facility for C-130 aircraft, hangars for the Predator unmanned aerial system, and squadron operations facilities for an AC-130 squadron. AFSOC also identified a need for about $100.6 million in additional operation and maintenance funding. According to AFSOC officials, about $10.3 million is for minor construction projects, such as enlarging entrance bay doors, reworking concrete ramps, and adding partition walls and doors to buildings, and $27.6 million is for upgrading and securing communications infrastructure. AFSOC officials told us that $19.6 million is needed to procure temporary hangars for fuel cell maintenance and corrosion control for C-130 aircraft and to lease facilities for squadron operations until permanent facilities are built.
TIMELINE
Cannon Air Force Base may have lower personnel levels and grow at a slower rate than initially projected. In July 2007, AFSOC estimated that Cannon would have about 3,900 personnel by the end of fiscal year 2008 and grow to a peak of about 5,700 by the end of fiscal year 2010. However, in September 2007, AFSOC provided revised data indicating plans for lower personnel levels and a slower rate of growth. AFSOC’s plans as of November 2007 indicated that a total of about 2,400 personnel would have moved to Cannon by the end of fiscal year 2008 and grow to a potential peak of about 4,000 personnel by the end of fiscal year 2009.
Funding constraints have caused AFSOC to reduce the projected personnel growth at Cannon by about 1,400 personnel and the decision to move these personnel is under review by DoD.
However, GAO analysis indicates that AFSOC may not achieve even the expected growth of about 4,000 personnel by 2010. AFSOC’s revisions of the planned personnel growth may be overstated because of the projected decrease in aircraft to be located at Cannon. AFSOC officials have indicated that fewer aircraft are being moved to Cannon than originally planned and at a slower rate. For example, AFSOC originally projected that 104 aircraft would be based at Cannon by 2010, but subsequently projected that 68 will be there by then. ♦