A team from Headquarters Air Force is taking stock this week of the utility of Cannon AFB, N.M., for new missions. The 2005 BRAC decisions stripped Cannon of its F-16 squadrons but spared the base—at least until 2009 when it must have a new mission. (DR 10/11/05) Although USAF had recommended closing Cannon, it now appears that leadership is eager to put the place to use. Air Force spokesman Doug Karas at Cannon tells us that a team of 12 airmen and contractors will wrap up four days of data gathering tomorrow, as part of an effort to build an interactive model for prospective tenants—from within DOD or other federal entities. “They’re laying the foundation for the work ahead,” Karas said. The Air Force plans by January to create an initial electronic model that will have specs on everything from the runway to the buildings to the state of the radio frequency spectrum in the surrounding area. Karas noted that USAF wants to submit a base recommendation to the Secretary of Defense as soon as summer 2006. “At least that’s the goal,” he added.
The U.K. and the U.S. will continue to enjoy access to the ports, airfield, and workshops at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean for at least another century, under a deal inked between the U.K. and Mauritius May 22.