Domenici-Bingaman Offer Cannon AFB Military Construction Bill

Press Release

Domenici-Bingaman Offer Cannon AFB Military Construction Bill

U.S. Senator Pete Domenici, joined by Senator Jeff Bingaman as an original cosponsor, today introduced legislation intended to promote eventual funding for two military construction projects at Cannon Air Force Base in FY2008.

The legislation to authorize $9.2 million for work at Cannon was offered in advance of FY2008 defense authorization and appropriations bills to highlight the importance of the military construction projects at the eastern New Mexico base. The lawmakers are still trying to gain further commitment from Air Force and Defense Department officials for an estimated $72.5 million in construction funding needed to advance Cannon's transition to a Special Operations Command base.

"This bill will signal to the defense authorization and funding committees in Congress that these projects are vital to Special Operations Command and its future at Cannon," Domenici said. "Our intent is to bring continuous attention to the needs at Cannon to ensure that the base is ready to accept its new mission."

"Preparing Cannon for its new mission is a top priority for the Air Force. This bill will help ensure we have the funding we need to get started on much-needed upgrades," Bingaman said.

Specifically, the bill would authorize $7.5 million to construct an MC-130 Flight Simulator Facility at Cannon, and $1.7 million to alter an existing hangar to accommodate C-130s.

Both projects, also included in the administration's FY2008 budget plan, would make the base more accommodating to handling C-130 and other large frame military aircraft. There are currently no hangars or other facilities to support MC-130 aircraft or a simulator for such aircraft. The simulator project will entail a two-story structure needed to support the MC-130 bed-down at Cannon in FY2008, and provide a facility for training new aircrews for this aircraft.

Earlier this month, the entire New Mexico congressional delegation formally requested that a supplemental spending measure pending in Congress include $72.5 million needed for additional military construction projects required to support Cannon's new Special Operations Command mission.

This proposed supplemental funding, beyond the $9.2 million outlined in the Domenici-Bingaman bill, would be used to construct a fuel cell hanger and C-130 Corrosion hanger ($31.5 million), CV-22 Simulator Facility ($7.5 million), UAV Squadron Operations/Ground Control station ($17.5 million), MC-130 Squadron Operations Facility ($12 million) and to fund MILCON Planning and Design ($4 million). All projects have been previously identified by the Department of Defense as requirements for the transformation of Cannon to a Special Operations base.

AFSOC will still take ownership of Cannon in October 2007. Overall, the Air Force has programmed over $200 million through the Future Years Defense Plan for Cannon.

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