The Air Force rates the Air Force Reserve's 911th Airlift Wing among the nation's costliest for flying outdated C-130 cargo planes, but that hasn't convinced Western Pennsylvania congressmen that closing the base would make financial or strategic sense/.../
Closing the 911th would save $144 million in personnel-related costs, $92 million in base operations, $77 million in aircraft maintenance and $41 million in flying expenses, the Air Force said. Unlike some bases that are home to multiple wings, the Moon base houses only the 911th/.../
Todd Harrison, a defense budget expert at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, said it could be that the Air Force wants to realize immediate savings by closing the 911th. Air Force calculations put the number of full-time civilian employees there at fewer than 300 -- though local leaders say the base employs 318 civilians -- and that small number could enable the Air Force to sidestep a lengthier congressional approval process to close it, Harrison said.
"The fact (that the Air Force) hasn't already released a detailed financial analysis makes me suspect it won't, because the analysis doesn't support the argument that all of its moves make sense from a financial standpoint," Harrison said. "Congress can still take steps to block this."