GLENDALE, Ariz. – Arizona’s local and state government officials, as well as the Arizona congressional delegation, are delighted with today’s decision that the Air Force has selected Luke Air Force Base as the preferred location for the new F-35 Pilot Training Center.
With today’s decision by the Air Force, Luke is poised to transition from its current F-16 training mission to become the Air Force’s F-35 “school house,” subject to completion of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) process that is currently underway.
“Today’s announcement is great news for our region and our state and represents a major milestone and the most critical stage in the F-35 site selection process,” said Glendale Mayor Elaine Scruggs.
“Although we realize there is more work ahead of us, we are extremely grateful to our state’s congressional delegation, the Arizona Legislature, Governor Jan Brewer, Attorney General Terry Goddard, and citizens and businesses for working closely with us to champion and support the F-35 coming to Luke Air Force Base through our Luke Forward campaign,” Scruggs said.
The campaign was developed locally to send a clear, strong message to the Department of Defense that Arizona supports Luke Air Force Base continuing to serve as one of the country’s premier fighter pilot training facilities and to raise awareness of the critical role Luke plays in our national defense and the state’s economy.
The campaign was created by the West Valley Partners and Fighter Country Partnership. The West Valley Partners include Avondale, Buckeye, Glendale, Gila Bend, Goodyear, Litchfield Park, Maricopa County, Peoria, Phoenix, Surprise, Tolleson, Wickenburg and Youngtown.
Gov. Brewer said the Air Force’s decision is, in part, the result of all levels of local and state governments, as well as the private sector, working in partnership on a common vision.
“We all know that Luke is the ideal location for this next generation fighter, but I also believe that today’s decision demonstrates Arizona’s ability to roll up our sleeves and work together for the betterment of our state,” she said.
“It’s critical that we continue to do all we can to preserve current and future missions at our military installations in order to keep this very important industry viable in our state.”
Luke Air Force Base and other military installations in the state collectively represent one of the largest industries in Arizona and generate more than $9 billion annually in economic impact statewide. Luke alone contributes more than 8,000 jobs and $2.17 billion annually to Arizona’s economy, according to a recent study commissioned by the state.
Fighter Country Partnership (FCP) Chairman Charley Freericks, who is co-chairing the Luke Forward campaign with Scruggs, credits community support for today’s decision.
“Local community support of military bases is very important back in Washington, and we know the tremendous Valley and statewide support for Luke Air Force Base really helped us,” said Freericks, a senior vice president at DMB Associates.
“We reached literally tens of thousands of Arizonans through our citizen and business outreach initiatives, and community support for Luke Air Force Base was overwhelming. There is no question that this strong level of support was a significant factor in the Air Force’s decision to site the F-35 at Luke.”
Today’s announcement is being made prior to the release of the Air Force’s draft F-35 basing EIS document, which is anticipated to be published in the next 30 days. The Air Force is required to conduct an environmental assessment of each potential F-35 site before making its final basing decision.
This federally mandated assessment, which is referred to as the EIS process, allows individual citizens and communities around candidate bases to provide input during the formal evaluation of each base.
The Draft EIS will serve as the Air Force’s notice of intent to proceed. Once the Draft EIS is released, in which Luke will be identified as the Air Force’s preferred site, public hearings will be held later this year.
Once the public hearings are held and the comment period concludes, the Air Force will release its final EIS document that will provide responses to comments received from the public.
After the Final EIS document is published, there will be an additional 30-day public review period. After reviewing comments received during this time frame and after considering any environmental impacts, the Air Force will making its final basing decision. It is anticipated the Air Force’s final “Record of Decision,” which will conclude the EIS process, will be made in early 2011.
5/18/2010 - LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. – The 56th Fighter Wing at Luke Air Force Base will soon begin looking for a new wing weapons officer. Maj. Josh Wood, current 56th FW Weapons officer, will soon be departing Luke AFB and no longer fly F-16s, but the next generation aircraft, the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter. With Air Force bases across the globe submitting recommendations, Major Wood is one of five pilots selected out of approximately 150 candidates to fly the F-35. “First off, I’m extremely humbled and it means the world to me,” said Major Wood. “I can’t describe what an unbelievable opportunity this is.”…
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…
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 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…
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…
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…
