Idaho’s already sputtering economy could take a hit as military officials and Congress slash billions from the armed forces budget over the next decade.
It is unclear exactly what the cuts will mean for the thousands of employees, soldiers and airmen at Mountain Home Air Force Base and Gowen Field in Boise.
But today, the state’s two military bases serve as economic engines, driving well over $1 billion of economic impact in Southwest Idaho.
“It is so early in the process,” said Brad Hoaglun, spokesman for Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho. Risch worries that cuts could “have a serious impact on Idaho and overall defense.”
Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta has outlined a plan that would trim more than $450 billion from the country’s armed forces over the next decade — about 8 percent of total defense spending. If Congress pushes a plan for even deeper cuts, the Pentagon could face a loss of $1 trillion. Panetta will soon unveil some specifics.
Hoaglun said there has been no mention yet of cuts that would immediately or directly affect either base.
Likewise, officials at both bases said it is too early to comment.
“I think both bases are positioned fairly well as far as missions go,” said Bill Richey, special assistant for military affairs to Gov. Butch Otter.
But cuts could hurt, and at the least the process will force all units to examine their missions and their spending. “When you start cutting budgets, you start looking at things you can do without and still get the mission done,” he said.
SURVIVING PAST ROUNDS
In recent years, both bases have been passed over for new missions. During a round of base closures and mission consolidation in 2005, each base lost aircraft and employees.
Mountain Home lost C-135 tankers, B-1 bombers and F-16 fighter jets; Gowen Field lost C-130 transport aircraft and crew.
As recently as November, the Air Force announced a workforce restructuring directed by Panetta, who wanted to keep worker costs at 2010 levels. The Air Force eliminated approximately 9,000 positions in total, with Mountain Home cutting about 34 civilian positions by not filling open jobs.
NEW AIRCRAFT, ROLES AT MOUNTAIN HOME
Since 2005, though, the wars in the Middle East and contracts with foreign countries have given the bases new assignments and equipment.
Those contracts now position both Mountain Home and Gowen Field to possibly thrive despite military belt-tightening.
At Mountain Home, the cut-resistant missions could include training two foreign air forces.
Richey noted that two F-15 fighter jet squadrons are based at Mountain Home. The base also houses a third F-15 training squadron from Singapore, which comes with a 20-year contract.
In addition, Mountain Home is considered the preferred alternative for a similar proposed training squadron from Saudi Arabia. The Saudis recently bought $30 billion in F-15 fighter jets from the U.S. military.
There is no deal inked yet to train Saudi pilots or ground crews at Mountain Home. But the environmental impact analysis is pending, said Col. Ron Buckley, 366th Fighter Wing commander.
“If Saudi officials decide to pursue MHAFB as a training base, the initial commitment would begin in 2014 and last through 2019,” Buckley said.
The nation’s military leaders are also regularly calling on the “Gunfighters” of Mountain Home to help overseas.
Local officials also say Mountain Home’s 366th likely faces an overseas deployment in 2012, officials said. Details weren’t released.
About 400 members of the 366th — the 389th Fighter Squadron — were last deployed in 2011 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
NEW TANKS AT GOWEN
At Boise’s Gowen Field, the 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team is the only National Guard brigade in the country getting the newest versions of the M1-A1 Abrams tank and Bradley Fighting Vehicle.
That equipment is starting to arrive in Boise, and training begins next month. That news came at the end of a second yearlong deployment for the 116th to Iraq.
The base also is getting the latest version of the Apache helicopter, the “Longbow,” due in Idaho this spring. The 1-168th Aviation Battalion, based at Gowen, is set to deploy this year to Afghanistan for combat support.
The 116th is “undergoing a reset phase,” said Col. Tim Marsano, spokesman for the Idaho Military Division.
“We know our organization plays an important role both in the national military structure and within the state of Idaho,” he said. “We have dealt with fluctuations and changes in the force structure in the past and will successfully adapt to any changes in the future.”
THE BENEFITS OF IDAHO’S HIGH DESERT
Idaho’s accessible ranges for pilot training make it attractive to the military, Richey said.
Mountain Home’s range covers more than 120,000 acres in Idaho, Oregon and Nevada. Because it’s close to the base, it’s convenient and economical, Richey said.
“It is being recognized as a premier training range in the Air Force,” he said.
Likewise, the Idaho National Guard’s Orchard Training Combat Training Center, in the high desert between Boise and Mountain Home, has had significant upgrades and will host more than a dozen out-of-state units in 2012, Marsano said.
“We provide them with training they simply can’t get elsewhere,” he said.
While new equipment and squadrons will help, Idaho will have to work hard to emphasize its strengths and efficiencies, Hoaglun said.
“There are going to be fights between states with bases to hang on to their programs,” he said.
“There is certainly going to be less funding. Who gets it? That’s where the fights come in.”
Kathleen Kreller: 377-6418
THE BASES
GOWEN FIELD
Gowen Field is the home of the Idaho Air National Guard, Army National Guard, including the 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team, and reserve units of the Army, Navy and Marines. The Idaho Air Guard's 124th Fighter Wing and its 190th Fighter Squadron are currently assigned the A-10 Thunderbolt II “Warthog” attack plane mission. The base employs more than 1,700 military and civilian personnel, including full-time active Guard Reserve and traditional part-time Guard members.
MOUNTAIN HOME AIR FORCE BASE
Idaho’s Mountain Home Air Force Base is the home of the 366th Fighter Wing, which includes more than 4,800 military and civilian members, and about 5,200 family members. The 366th includes an operation group, maintenance group, mission support group and medical group. The base is also home to three fighter squadrons: the 389th Fighter Squadron, 391st Fighter Squadron and a Republic of Singapore 428th Fighter Squadron. The wing has the firepower of more than 50 F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft and a dozen F-15SG fighter aircraft.
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