New Study Will Focus On Value Of State's Military Bases

Military installations across the nation, including the Air National Guard base at Gabreski Airport in Westhampton, have been threatened in recent years by federal budget cuts, modernization initiatives and periodic evaluations.

In an effort to protect its bases from further cutbacks and possible closures, New York State recently launched a $500,000 economic impact study with a goal of identifying growth opportunities and retention strategies to keep the state’s 10 Air Force-related bases thriving and contributing to local economies. The study will focus on the military value, cost-effectiveness and economic impact of key bases in the Empire State, including the ANG’s 106th Rescue Wing facility in Westhampton.

News of the study comes on the heels of the U.S. Department of Defense’s announcement that it will be reducing funding for the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station, a proposal that calls for slashing 997 jobs that will threaten the livelihoods of 836 servicemen and servicewoman affiliated with the 107th Airlift Wing. In February, the Air Force released a report outlining aircraft changes and cuts in personnel that mostly affected the Niagara Falls facility.

“They did not really touch the 106th Rescue Wing. They cut one full-time job and six ANG jobs at Gabreski,” said Eric Durr, a spokesman for the New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs, on Tuesday.

Also on the mind of many local residents is when the next round of federal Base Realignment and Closure reviews, known as BRAC, will be conducted. Twenty-two major military installations across the country were closed following the most recent review in 2005. It is not clear when the next review will be held.

“We are working to protect Gabreski in a potential BRAC process,” said Oliver Longwell, a spokesman for U.S. Representative Tim Bishop of Southampton.

It was not immediately clear how long it will take to complete the study, or if state officials intend to share its results with the federal government.

According to Colonel Tom Owens, the commander of the ANG’s 106th Rescue Wing, the local economic impact of the military’s presence in Westhampton is roughly $100 million per year. Slightly more than 1,000 personnel are currently employed there, and a third of them are full-time officers. Col. Owens added that approximately $50 million in payroll went to support those working in some capacity on the base in 2011.

Local officials are optimistic that the state analysis will help with the creation of a strategic plan to promote, enhance and protect New York’s military bases. While Col. Owens could not say when the analysis would be completed, he explained that bases file internal control plans on an annual basis, and that data will be included in the study.

Statewide, military bases account for more than 10,000 jobs that generate an estimated $688 million in annual salaries, according to a release issued by Governor Andrew Cuomo’s office. Their economic impact totals around $1.9 billion.

On Monday, Mr. Bishop met with Col. Owens, Chief Master Sergeant Edward Reiter of the 106th Rescue Wing and two members of the Friends of the 106th, Mike Jacobs and Carolyn Fahey, in the congressman’s Patchogue office to discuss the future of the ANG base at Gabreski. The Friends of the 106th is a nonprofit group that is dedicated to protecting the interests of the local rescue wing.

“The 106th Air Rescue Wing at Gabreski ... is a vital component of our nation’s defense and a powerful economic engine for Suffolk County,” Mr. Bishop said after the meeting. “The defense budget will have to absorb significant cuts in the coming years, but I will continue to work with the Friends of the 106th and other supporters to defend the unit’s presence in Westhampton Beach given recent investments in upgrades at Gabreski and the unit’s vital role in the Northeast’s military preparedness.”

Through the state-funded study, Mr. Cuomo said he hopes that the economic benefits created by the state’s military installations will be protected. The state’s other primary military bases are: Niagara Falls Reserve Station, Fort Drum in Watertown, Air Force Research Laboratories in Rome, Stratton Air National Guard Base in Scotia, Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Syracuse, Watervliet Arsenal in Albany, West Point, Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn and Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh.

Two weeks ago, Mr. Bishop joined U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Holly Petraeus, the assistant director of the Office of Servicemember Affairs at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, on a visit to the ANG base at Gabreski. They discussed reductions in the military budget, benefits for service members and the lack of jobs for reservists and airmen with 200 people stationed at the base.

“We were honored not only to host but to hear from them,” Col. Owens said of the visit.