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…
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
by Surprise Mayor L.E. “Lyn” Truitt As mayor of Surprise, I see the positive difference Luke Air Force Base makes daily in our community. That is why I fully support bringing the F-35 training program to Luke Air Force Base. Surprise has more flyovers from Luke’s F-16 jets than any other West Valley city. To us, the roar of those fighters is the sound of freedom. Luke AFB is a true West Valley native. Its mission of defending freedom blossomed decades ago, when it was a training site for young WWII pilots. Many of them loved Arizona and settled here;…
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…
Fixing the Pentagon’s dysfunctional procurement system takes more than just killing off anachronistic projects like the now-terminated F-22 jet fighter. It also requires rescuing vitally needed programs from poor military management and private sector cost overruns. That is why we are pleased to see Defense Secretary Robert Gates taking strong steps to revitalize the struggling F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program. A cost-effective F-35 is critical to the future combat needs of the Air Force, Navy and Marines. The project already is years behind schedule and nearly 50 percent above its originally estimated cost. That is clearly too much, especially with…
Local, State Leaders Work Together to Make Arizona A National Model for Protecting Military Bases West Valley and state leaders have been working together to take proactive steps in preserving and enhancing the long-term mission viability of the state’s military installations. Their actions may soon pay off as Luke Air Force Base is one of several Air Force bases being considered for the upcoming F-35 training mission. Since the first successful state legislation was passed in 1978, there has been a coordinated and continuous approach to establishing compatible land uses around military bases in Arizona, including Luke. State laws establish…
By Paul Blue Collaboration and communication are key organizational values at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. As owner and operator of two general aviation airports and a large commercial airport, the city of Phoenix Aviation Department recognizes that delivering world-class customer service to passengers and airport users can only be successful when the community is on our team. One critical stakeholder to our success is Luke Air Force Base. In any metropolitan area with significant aviation uses, it is important that those users work together. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has the sole and absolute discretion for where planes fly….
For Sergeant First Class Jason Jacot, the work he does to restore power to Haiti has a permanence unlike that in Iraq. (David L. Ryan/ Globe Staff) PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – Sergeant First Class Jason Jacot stood by the imposing iron gate of the headquarters of Joint Task Force Haiti, sweltering in temperatures near 100 degrees as he cradled an M-4 rifle across his body. The sweat that trickled down his face had nothing to do with the threat of imminent death or injury from hidden explosives, suicide bombers, and snipers, as the case had been in Iraq. For Jacot, the…
from The Arizona Republic (opinions) State and county leaders put their competing interests aside and agreed on a pact that protects Luke Air Force Base from encroachment and improves the chances of landing the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The agreement signed last week by Gov. Jan Brewer and Attorney General Terry Goddard and adopted unanimously by the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors largely prohibits new single-family development around the base, its auxiliary fields and other military installations. It ends years of legal wrangling by the state and county. The deal strikes a balance between property rights and protecting the $2.1…
By Tom Browning Luke Air Force Base has been home to the “school house” of the Air Force since the 1940’s and has become the premier location for Air Force fighter pilot training in the nation. As the Air Force seeks a second training site for the F-35 or Joint Strike Fighter, Arizona should lead the competition due to a number of key decisions made by the state and local leadership, the vastness of the training environment and a number of variables that make Luke AFB unique among its competition. Airspace Arizona is unmatched in its availability of range space…
