Both Georgia 1st District Congressman Buddy Carter and Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock say closing Savannah's Air Dominance Center could have repercussions, especially as Russia "aggressively threatens the world order."
Released last week, President Joe Biden's 2023 proposed budget request calls for shutting down the ADC, also known as the Combat Readiness Training Center, located at Savannah Air National Guard Base. The Savannah-based center conducts air-to-air combat training missions for both reservist and active-duty fighter pilots.
The budget hasn't been finalized yet, and Warnock, a Democrat, and Carter, a Republican, have said they'll fight to keep the training center open.
"It's just unbelievable that we're even considering this at this time," Carter said. "I mean, here we have a president who says, 'Show me your budget, and you'll show me your values.' Well, obviously, we're seeing the values of this administration right now.
“This center is a cost-effective national security asset crucial for regional training and coordination," Warnock said. "While there’s much in the president’s proposed budget that I believe will help Georgians thrive, this is one of several cuts in the request that deeply troubles me.
Credit: Savannah State University
Credit: Savannah State University
The Savannah CRTC shares an airfield with the Georgia Air National Guard’s 165th Airlift Wing, which carries out critical airlift missions. This makes the center efficient, as it doesn't take up additional space and needs only about a hundred staffers to run.
Credit: John Carrington/savannahnow.com
Credit: John Carrington/savannahnow.com
The Savannah CRTC has previously received considerable federal investments. Congress, at the request of the National Guard Bureau, invested $24 million in military construction funding for a hangar to support 5th generation fighter maintenance, a project was scheduled for completion in August 2022.
Carter, who serves on the House Budget Committee, said the ASC is a valuable resource for the area. It's one of four combat readiness training centers in the country, the other three being The Alpena CRTC in Michigan, Volk Field in Wisconsin and the Gulfport CRTC in Mississippi.
Additionally, Carter said Savannah's location is another reason to keep the training center around. Equipment can be shipped quickly in and out of Fort Stewart, and airspace for flight training is abundant off the coast, Carter said.
Credit: Corey Dickstein/savannahnow.com
Credit: Corey Dickstein/savannahnow.com
And beyond that, both lawmakers say it's the wrong time to close a military readiness center, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine has made the world less secure.
"Russia is aggressively threatening the world order, and the United States must be as strong as possible," Warnock said in a statement.
Carter agreed, pointing out that the U.S. could "potentially be on the brink of World War III." Carter still remains hopeful that no American troops will be deployed against Russian forces in Ukraine, but he thinks it is wise to stay ready.
"Hopefully, we don't need it. But if this teaches us anything, aside from the importance of energy independence to our national security, it teaches us that we need to be prepared in this day and time. And to cut back on combat readiness training centers, I think is the exact opposite."
Will Peebles is the enterprise reporter for Savannah Morning News. He can be reached at wpeebles@gannett.com and @willpeeblessmn on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Buddy Carter, Raphael Warnock agree: Closing Savannah's Air Dominance Center is a bad idea
The Latest
Featured
