mr. chairman , i stand in support of house joint resolution 65 , disapproving the recommendations of the base realignment and closure commission . 
this will be my first vote against a brac list , and it is not a vote i take lightly . 
i support the brac process as a whole as a reasonable and apolitical method for evaluating our nation 's defense infrastructure needs , and recognize the necessity of this first brac round in a decade . 
but while i salute the hard work of the brac commission members in their deliberations and recognize the difficulty of their task , this brac round took place in the context of flawed methodology as regarded air national guard bases . 
it was my expectation that the department of defense would solicit input from all relevant sources in evaluating our air national guard requirements -- most importantly , the adjutant general of each state . 
but at no time in the pentagon 's development of its air force brac recommendations did it ask the adjutant general of ohio or any of the other 53 adjutants general for input . 
i find this shocking , considering that the army consulted the adjutants general when crafting its recommendations -- and considering that 37 of the 42 air force brac proposals involved air national guard units . 
for the past 24 years , i have had the privilege of representing the guardsmen of one of those units : the 179th airlift wing of the ohio air national guard , located at mansfield lahm airport . 
the 179th has been a vital part of mansfield and richland county since 1948 , with an annual economic impact of roughly $ 70 million . 
members of the airlift wing have served more than 195 , 000 days just since 9/11 in support of homeland defense and the global war on terror . 
more recently , the guardsmen of the 179th have flown sorties to the gulf coast region , delivering much-needed supplies and transporting hundreds of troops to assist those affected by hurricane katrina . 
relief missions such as this are nothing new for the men and women of the 179th , who have answered the call during past hurricane relief missions in florida and other states , and have assisted with vital defense operations in iraq , saudi arabia , afghanistan , kosovo , and elsewhere . 
i was disappointed , therefore , at the inclusion of the 179th on the pentagon 's proposed closure list in may . 
as i said in a letter to president bush last month in support of the 179th , the unit has always stood ready to accept any flying assignment , and represents a wealth of expertise and professionalism that ohio and the nation can ill afford to lose . 
contrary to national trends , the 179th has consistently excelled in recruiting and retention , currently standing at 105 percent of assigned strength . 
mansfield draws from a rich recruiting base , boasting the best personnel strength figures of any air national guard c-130 unit . 
the men and women of the 179th are highly experienced , with an average of more than 12 years of service ; mansfield 's aircrews have an average of 16 years of military aviation experience . 
in just the last few years , all mansfield aircrew members have flown combat sorties in the middle east and asia , and have received 116 air medals for their bravery , courage , and skill . 
in its final deliberations , the brac commission found that closing mansfield was `` not supportable '' and recommended instead that a `` contiguous enclave '' be established at mansfield lahm . 
the commission further acknowledged that the air force did not adequately consult with governors and state adjutants general with respect to its air guard recommendations . 
had there been consultation , better decisions could have been made about air guard infrastructure in view of our national defense and homeland security needs . 
in short , the air force would have done well to follow the army 's brac model , which stood as an example of good consultation among parties . 
when the joint systems manufacturing center -- located in lima in my congressional district -- was placed on the brac list with a recommendation to reduce manufacturing space by 27 percent , top army officials working on the brac staff made themselves available to meet with representatives of jsmc and the community . 
the jsmc delegation explained that such a reduction would impede operations at the plant , resulting in a higher cost to the government for the weapons systems the plant produces . 
as a result of these discussions , the brac staff recommended that the commission remove the jsmc proposal from its final list , which it did . 
the army 's deliberations on jsmc were an ideal example of how the brac process works well : when information is shared and all relevant parties are consulted . 
even with the commission 's decision to reverse the jsmc proposal -- and even with the partial reversal of the mansfield decision and the encouraging possibilities for obtaining a new mission for the more than 1 , 000 guardsmen of the 179th -- i will vote for this resolution of disapproval . 
by statute , the purpose of brac is to reduce excess infrastructure . 
the current brac round , though , is being used to implement operational policies and transfer mansfield 's c-130s from the guard to the active and reserve forces . 
such complex issues should not be handled within the brac procedure . 
although i strongly oppose the transfer of mansfield 's planes , i welcome the opportunity to work with the department of defense and state officials to obtain a new mission for mansfield , should the brac recommendations be upheld . 
in just the last 8 years , more than $ 20 million has been invested in the 179th 's facilities at mansfield lahm . 
thanks to the efforts of mansfield mayor lydia reid and other local officials , the city has made 163 acres adjacent to the airport available for guard expansion or joint service activities . 
this significant investment and possibility for expansion should make mansfield an even more attractive site for locating a new air-based mission . 
nonetheless , given mansfield 's solid track record as a c-130 unit and its many contributions to our nation and world , i oppose the transfer of its planes . 
at a time when our troops are already stressed by operational tempos , and when our national recruiting and retention rates are reaching record lows , i fear any disruption to our well-equipped and well-manned guard units . 
our planes are only as good as the people who maintain and fly them , and our country can not afford to lose their skills . 
