Budget cuts threaten Cannon bomb range
Posted at: 11/03/2009 6:50 PM
| Updated at: 11/05/2009 1:03 PM
By: Joe Bartels, KOBF; Matthew Kappus; KOB.com
Cannon Air Force trains special ops pilots used in Iraq and Afghanistan
A wide-open bombing range was a big reason the Air Force spared Cannon Air Force Base from closing in 2005.
Gov. Richardson has frozen funding for all state budget projects in an effort to help plug the state’s budget shortfall. But Clovis Mayor Gayla Brumfield says she feels pretty good the cuts won’t affect the nearby base.
“When we were going through the BRAC process a few years ago, in 2005, that we actually had the money set aside by the governor, you know through the state,” she said.
The $5 million range expansion greatly increases the amount of space available for Air Force special operations training. Those units are important players in both Afghanistan and Iraq.
At this point, there is no official word on whether the Air Force has an alternative plan if funding for the expansion is cut.
Officials with Cannon say the Melrose range provides a large area for weapons training without the worry of damaging nearby developments. That is something the Air Force says is lacking at many other Air Force bases throughout the country.
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