Reps. Carter & Bishop: Keep the Savannah Combat Readiness Training Center open

​​​​​​​Reps. Buddy Carter and Sanford D. Bishop, Jr.
·3 min read

Rep. Buddy Carter serves as the U.S. representative for Georgia's 1st congressional district.

Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. serves as the U.S. representative for Georgia's 2nd congressional district.

The Savannah Combat Readiness Training Center (CRTC) is the most efficient and heavily-utilized Air Force pilot training center in the country. Closing it, as the Air Force’s FY 2023 budget proposes, would be short-sighted. Doing so walks away from a military facility with a proven track record of excellence. It also risks undermining our military readiness at a time when Russia and China are flexing their military might in ways that threaten our partners and allies.

The Air Dominance Center, which houses the CRTC, prepares pilots for combat through practice flights and trainings. Programs like these are crucial for maintaining our military’s ability to quickly respond to threats, referred to as “combat readiness.”

One of the B-1B Lancers from the 116th Bomb Wing of the Georgia Air National Guard, Robins AFB comes in for landing at the Savannah International Airport. The bombers are in Savannah at the National Guard Combat Readiness Training Center for various exercises.
One of the B-1B Lancers from the 116th Bomb Wing of the Georgia Air National Guard, Robins AFB comes in for landing at the Savannah International Airport. The bombers are in Savannah at the National Guard Combat Readiness Training Center for various exercises.

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Placing one of the nation’s four CRTCs in Savannah was a strategic decision. Not only can the center host 5th generation aircraft, but it is also home to the highest concentration of 5th generation fighter pilots in the world. That is why, since last year, every F-22 pilot in the country trained at this facility. Combined with the year-round warmth and proximity to Tybee Island, no other location can duplicate the high-quality training offered in Savannah.

Every branch of the military has a base in Coastal Georgia, which is why this location is ideal for a program that services the Air National Guard, Army National Guard, Air Force, Air Force Reserve Command and the Joint Force.

The Air Force’s proposal to close the Savannah CRTC contradicts its recent, cutting-edge investments in the installation and its mission.

A $24 million, state-of-the-art airplane hangar, designed to support pilot training - and approved in 2019 - is nearing completion at the Air Dominance Center. $24 million is not pocket change. That money came from hardworking taxpayers - single parents, truckers, teachers and union workers.

The $42 million hangar is still being constructed on the Savannah Air National Guard base as calls to shut down the training center are being made by the Biden administration.
The $42 million hangar is still being constructed on the Savannah Air National Guard base as calls to shut down the training center are being made by the Biden administration.

Last month, the center was outfitted with $1.2 million in new technology that is not available anywhere else in the country.

In September, a ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held to celebrate the hangar’s completion.

However, if the Air Force closes the Savannah CRTC next April, this hangar will likely be relegated to housing reliable, but less complex aircraft like the C-130, which cannot fully utilize the cutting-edge technology that the newly-completed 5th generation aircraft hangar can provide.

These recent expansion projects by the Department of Defense reaffirm that the pilot training opportunities offered by the Savannah CRTC are invaluable to the Air Force. The American military’s capacity to conduct realistic, live training sets us apart from our adversaries. We can see from Russia’s tactical incompetency in Ukraine how disastrous it can be if a nation does not properly prepare its warfighters.

As members of Congress, we recognize that budgets have limits and hard decisions must be made to protect our country’s bottom line. That is exactly why the Savannah CRTC must remain open, because it provides the high quality and most cost-effective training, despite conducting more flights than any of the other three CRTC locations.

Our Air Force finds itself in a troubling position - its fleet of aircraft is aging, flight hours per aircraft are down and aircraft are increasingly unavailable to fly.

U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter
U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter

With Russia’s military aggression in Europe and China’s increased engagement in Asia and the Pacific, we cannot compromise our military’s combat readiness. While we all hope, and expect, that no American troops will be called to promote peace abroad, we must be prepared if it does happen. Shutting down this center threatens that preparedness.

Our world-class fighters deserve world-class training. The Savannah CRTC is where that training happens and where it should remain.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Carter & Bishop: Keep Savannah's Combat Readiness Training Center open