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Town hall meetings address 16th SOW, Cannon transfer

  • Published
  • By Denise Boyd
  • AFSOC public affairs
HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. --  The 1st Special Operations Wing held two town hall meetings last week on the upcoming transfer of Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., from Air Combat Command to Air Force Special Operations Command.

Following the base transfer, AFSOC intends to establish the 16th Special Operations Wing at Cannon. The meetings were designed to ensure 1st SOW Airmen have the latest information while providing them the opportunity to have their questions answered about the proposed movement of personnel and aircraft.

Colonel J.J. Wendling, AFSOC's director of manpower and personnel, and Lt. Col. Charles Farmer, chief, force planning and policy branch, provided a program overview and responded to questions from the audience.

According to Colonel Farmer, Cannon has the potential to support several different aircraft types to include MC-130s, AC-130s, unmanned aerial vehicles, CV-22s, and small airlift aircraft, and to host a special tactics squadron.

Final decisions on specific unit moves and timelines are contingent on the completion of the Environmental Impact Statement, a study conducted by the Air Force to determine areas potentially affected by AFSOC aircraft and Airmen.

No aircraft will move to Cannon until after the base transfer Oct. 1, and the movement of aircraft and personnel will be in phases until 2017.

"The EIS analyzes potential impacts to airspace management and air traffic control, noise, safety, air quality, physical resources (including hazardous materials and waste), biological resources, cultural resources, land use (including ranching and transportation), socioeconomics and environmental justice," said Tim Hoffman, AFSOC's environmental planning and programs manager.

The draft EIS is scheduled to be released for public review and comment March 30, and will be available on the AFSOC public Web site at www2.afsoc.af.mil/fonsi.

The next step in the EIS process is to conduct public hearings in New Mexico. The hearings are scheduled for April 17-19, in Clovis, Fort Sumner and Clayton, N.M. During these hearings, a military judge will hear public testimony, providing the public the opportunity to comment on the draft. The comments will become part of the official record and will be included in the final EIS.

"Public involvement is an essential part of this process, as it ensures community concerns are analyzed and addressed and the most accurate and thorough document is created," Mr. Hoffman said. "We anticipate the final EIS will be available in August."

According to Colonel Farmer, the Cannon active duty population currently sits at approximately 3,600 Airmen. With the move of the special operations mission, that number could increase to approximately 5,300 by 2012.

Cannon will become an AFSOC base as of Oct. 1, regardless of the decision of the EIS, and the 27th Fighter Wing will continue to distribute its forces to other units.

However, if it is determined that the environmental impact would be too significant to Cannon and the surrounding areas, the base will move into enclave status, delaying transfer of any operational missions until an acceptable work-around is identified and implemented.

During enclave status, the base population would be minimal, and the sole focus is to maintain all facilities in working order in preparation for an eventual mission transfer.