Last Updated on Monday, 23 August 2010 18:52 Written by Phillip Monday, 23 August 2010 18:42
By Lou Phelps, SBJ Staff
Aug. 23, 2010 - The summer’s been busy for the Beaufort County Chamber of Commerce and the Lowcountry Economic Network & Alliance as the two groups have worked closely with local military leaders in support of the “Operation F35-Beaufort,” a public relations campaign to insure that Navy jet squadrons remain at Beaufort Air Station.
The Navy’s F18 jet squadrons at Beaufort Air Station are getting older, and the Department of Defense is engaged in making decisions on the placement of 11 squadrons of the military’s next generation of striker jets, the F35’s.
The F35 is termed a joint striker jet, and is considered the world’s most technologically advanced fighter jet. With Boeing in Charleston and Gulfstream in Savannah, Beaufort County is considered ideally suited to expand the military’s existing presence at the Beaufort Naval Air Station, including the utilization of 150 acres in the Beaufort Commerce Park.
The military is already contributing $1.2 billion annually in economic impact to Beaufort County, according to a recent study by economist Don Schunk of Coastal Carolina University, including Beaufort Naval Air Station, and the Marines at Parris Island.
The Beaufort Chamber’s Military Affairs Committee is leading the effort, funded in part with money left over from previous years during the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) decision periods by the Department of Defense. Also working closely with the Chamber has been the Lowcountry Economic Network & Alliance.
The Network has contributed the branding logo, the posters, the website and the social media campaign that is currently ongoing, according to Ian Leslie, spokesperson for the Network, to insure that the public supports bringing the F35’s to Beaufort County.
Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort is competing with a similar base at Cherry Point, North Carolina for all or a portion of 11 squadrons of the new jets, along with the training units. There are five different alternatives that the military is studying that could bring three squadrons, eight squadrons, eleven squadrons, training units only, or no decision about the F35’s in Beaufort County.
An initial Environmental Impact Study (EIS) was released in June by the Navy for a public comment period. The public hearings phase has been closed, but a 45 comment period is still open. A final EIS will then be released to the public.
The process began in January 2010 with a series of “public scoping meetings. Of those, every comment, and I mean every comment, whether online or in public, was addressed in the Enviromental Impact Study,” according to Denny McMellen, public affairs officer at MCAS Beaufort.
“We’re in the phase where they take all the comments from the public on the EIS report and then issue the final which will be presented by the Secretary of the Navy. We’re hoping that by the end of December we will find out what the Navy’s plans for these aircraft,” McMellen explained.
“It’s a brand new plane that will phase out the F18’s that the Marines current fly. The F35 will be used by the Air Force, Navy and Marines, as well as, allied countries," he added.
MCAS Beaufort has seven squadrons currently, with a total of 4,000 active duty military personnel and 670 civilian jobs in the County, not including contractors – a permanent workforce of 4, 670. The lose of a jet base would be devastating.
And so the Operation F35 Beaufort was launched by the county’s economic leadership.
A squadron has approximately 12 jets plus all the personnel involved in flying, maintenance and support of the military personnel. In one alternative, MCAS might get two training squadrons which would keep the base busy because of the amount of training involved with the F35’s, according to McMellen.
“There are various options. If “Alternative 1” is chosen, we would basically be a one for one swap. There would be fewer military personnel, but more civilian technical jobs,” he explained. “There would be an increased work load. We would be flying more missions because of the training, including the ocean area training area, and the Townsend, Georgia bombing range (in the McIntosh/Long counties area.)
One of the alternatives under review has all 11 F35 squadrons coming to Beaufort, which would have a significant increased economic impact. “We’re fortunate to have the ocean training zone we have,” explained McMellen, because of where Beaufort County sits. The military can train and fly in a zone from Wilmington, NC down to the tip of Georgia for over-ocean training that does not interfere with commercial air traffic. “It’s a perfect training area,” he added.
There is also a “No Action” alternative” the Navy might adopt, making no decision at this time. But eventually, decisions will have to be made. Like most equipment, the F18’s have a useful life, and must be phased out by 2022 based on hours on the airframes.
Currently, the Air Force, Navy and Marines are using both Harriers and F18’s, but both will be phased out, replaced by F35’s. The Harrier squadrons are based at Cherry Point, NC.
The complete EIS report and an executive summary is available online at www.usmcjsfeast.com.
The Department of Defense announced that the Navy’s preliminary recommendation is that Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort receive three new squadrons and two training squadrons for the F35-B Lighting II jet, according to the Lowcountry Network.
The Lowcountry Economic Network & Alliance believes that the expansion will also help them recruit new industry to the region, and assist existing technology businesses, according to Kim Statler, executive director of the Lowcountry Economic Network.
If Beaufort gets the F35’s, the military needs more land-based training space and is looking for an expanding bombing location in the McIntosh and Long county areas. (See related story.)
