Mayor: Continued investments on Cannon horizon

Aug. 26—New Mexico's U.S. senators and local officials who attended a meeting Tuesday at Cannon Air Force Base with high-ranking Air Force officials said they came away thinking that long-term commitment from the U.S. Air Force to the future of Cannon Air Force Base was secured.

U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., who helped organize Tuesday's meeting, said reassurances for Cannon's future from ranking leaders gave "powerful" reasons for optimism.

The discussions at Cannon involved Heinrich, U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, local leaders, and ranking leaders of the U.S. Air Force, including Ravi Chaudhary, assistant secretary

of the Air Force for energy, installations and environment; Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfiend, of Air Force Special Operations Command leadership, and Sgt. Anthony Green, chief

master sergeant of the Air Force.

Lujan, D-N.M., expressed gratitude to Heinrich for arranging the meeting, which he said left him encouraged about Cannon's future.

Lujan said the Melrose Air Force Range is one of the key factors in assuring Cannon's future.

"Cannon owns the range," he said. "They don't have to make special arrangements to use it and can use it for whatever they need."

The other, he said, is Cannon's location, which makes some of Cannon's activities, "which no other base does," feasible.

He said the Air Force leaders who attended the meeting said decisions are being made now for new missions at Cannon that will more than compensate for the transfer of 350 Air Force personnel and seven MC 130J armed cargo aircraft to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Ariz., expected over the next five years.

In fact, Lujan said, one of the Air Force leaders described Cannon as the Air Force's "premier power projection base" among Special Operations Command bases.

A power projection wing at Davis-Monthan will receive the Sixth Squadron of the 27th Special Operations Wing at Cannon when the transfer is complete.

Sid Strebeck, chair of the Committee of 50, which lobbies on behalf of Cannon, said he was amazed to hear some details about what may lie on the horizon for Cannon.

Clovis Mayor Mike Morris said, "The Air Force evolves as missions and objectives change, and force structure and personnel numbers may fluctuate."

He said, however, he believes "there will be new missions and continued investments"