The town of Buckeye has supported the mission of Luke Air Force Base for decades. Just recently, the Town Council unanimously approved a resolution strongly encouraging the U. S. Department of Defense, Congress and the Administration to designate Luke Air Force Base as a training site for the Air Force version of the F-35 Lightning II fighter.
The operations at Luke AFB have impacted people from all walks of life and from every state in the nation. Since 1988, Luke Air Force Base has trained 16,270 fighter pilots to fly the F-16 Fighting Falcon and graduated 9,071 crew chiefs. They continue…
GLENDALE, Ariz. (Feb 25 2010) – West Valley residents are turning out in large numbers this week to show their support in bringing the new F-35 fighter jet to Luke Air Force Base.
Tuesday night’s meeting in El Mirage and last night’s meeting in Surprise each attracted big crowds of approximately 300 people. Luke supporters donning military hats, t-shirts, pins and stickers could be found everywhere at the meetings, which are being conducted by the Air Force to solicit input from citizens in preparation of the F-35 environmental study at the Glendale base.
Based on reports from other communities, such as New Mexico, Utah and Idaho, which are also under consideration to receive the Air Force’s joint strike fighter program, the Luke meetings are drawing record crowds.
“At last night’s meeting in Surprise, there was a line of people waiting to get inside the meeting room,” said Fighter Country Partnership’s Steve Yamamori, whose organization is working with 12 West Valley cities and Maricopa County to bring the F-35 to Luke. West Valley residents and others are showing up in force at these meetings to express their support for the Air Force to bring the F-35 to Luke. This strong support by local citizens is definitely going to send a clear message to decisions makers back in Washington, D.C. that Arizona strongly supports the F-35.”
Based on the criteria the Air Force will use to evaluate sites for the F-35 mission, Luke is well positioned to receive the F-35 and continue to serve as the Air Force’s “school house” for America’s fighter pilots and maintainers.
Local leaders know, however, that until a decision is made, nothing can be taken for granted, and they urge continued strong support from Arizonans statewide.
Luke has been training fighter pilots since 1941, and Arizona features the ideal climate, land, airspace and training rangers – including the Barry M. Goldwater Range in southern Arizona – that cannot be replicated anywhere in the country.
For more information on the public-scoping meetings, which run through Friday, or to register your support for the F-35 at Luke, visit www.LukeForward.com.
CONTACT: Steve Yamamori, Fighter Country Partnership, 623-882-2191
The Wickenburg meeting is this Thursday (Feb. 25) at the Wickenburg High School Media Center, at 1090 S. Vulture Mine Road. This is an open-house scoping meeting and will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. to provide the public an opportunity to learn about F-35s and to provide input to help define the proposed action and alternatives. Other meetings are being held around the valley. For meeting locations call 623-856-6169 or visit http://lukeforward.com/.
Residents are encouraged to attend one or more of these meetings and to complete comment forms that will be used during the process of the Environmental Impact…
The Luke Forward Committee has been sending out thousands of emails to registered supporters the past week providing an alternative option to physically attending these meetings from across the valley. The F-35 Public Scoping meetings are a critical part of the Environmental Impact Study being conducted by the Air Force.
The Air Force proposes to establish training F-35A Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) training aircraft at one or more existing Air Force installations within the continental United States. F-35A is a conventional take-off, multiple-role fighter with an emphasis on air-to-ground missions. The aircraft was designed to replace and supplement F-16 and A-10…
In the last several months, there has been a flurry of public meetings, media coverage and varying opinions on the campaign to bring the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Program to Luke Air Force Base (AFB).
Unfortunately, there have been many opinions that were misconstrued as facts that could potentially hurt the opportunity to have Luke AFB chosen as the new JSF training base for the Department of Defense.
As mayor of Surprise, I want to state my full support for bringing the F-35 training program to Arizona. Surprise has more flyovers of aircraft than any other West Valley city and…
By Terry Goddard, Attorney General of Arizona
The legal agreement to prevent residential encroachment around Luke Air Force Base and its auxiliary facilities represents a major victory for the citizens of Arizona.
The settlement is significant in several respects:
It brings Maricopa County into compliance with state laws enacted to protect military airports from encroaching development. Those laws were passed to safeguard not only state military installations, but also the health and safety of residents living nearby.
It improves Luke’s chances to be chosen as a training base for the next generation of Air Force jets, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. That decision stands…
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Fighter Country Partnership) PHOENIX – Governor Jan Brewer, Attorney General Terry Goddard and the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors today adopted an agreement to resolve a long-standing issue involving residential encroachment around Luke Air Force Base at a special meeting of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors held at the Wigwam Resort in Litchfield Park.
“I’d like to thank key leaders and their staff who joined me in reaching this important resolution that the Supervisors adopted today, including Senator John Nelson, Attorney General Terry Goddard, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors and Senator John McCain,” said Governor Brewer. “It is a testament to our state officials who came together in a unified and cooperative spirit to uphold the health and welfare of our citizens, preserve the rights of property owners as well as the success of the State’s military bases. Our unified agreement will no doubt make clear to the U. S. Defense Department that Arizona stands ready for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter mission.”
“This agreement represents a major victory for the citizens of Arizona,” Goddard said. “It upholds state law, protects the health and safety of nearby residents and strengthens Luke’s bid for the F-35. It also shows what can be accomplished when a commitment to serve the greater good prevails over political and policy differences.”
The settlement agreement reached between…..
by David Madrid – Jan. 28, 2010 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic
A dispute between the state and Maricopa County over residential construction near Luke Air Force Base may soon be over if a negotiated agreement makes it to the county Board of Supervisors.
It would be good news for Luke proponents, who are working to bring the F-35 Lightning II to the base, which they believe is the logical place to put an aircraft that replaces Luke’s aging F-16 jet fighters. Luke pumps $2.1 billion a year into the state’s economy.
The agreement would be signed by Gov. Jan Brewer and Arizona Attorney…
Much has been written about the city of El Mirage since city leaders traveled to Washington D.C. in March to petition the federal government for $400 million, claiming economic harm due to its proximity to Luke Air Force Base.
Officials from other West Valley cities were surprised after learning about El Mirage’s monetary request to the federal government since communities around the base have historically worked closely together for decades to protect and preserve the training mission of Luke.
The region has enjoyed a positive relationship with the Air Force’s largest F-16 training base since the facility opened as Luke Field in…
Over the past two decades, the city of Goodyear has taken bold steps to ensure development around Luke Air Force Base’s Southern Departure Corridor remains compatible with Luke’s mission.
