A Tucson, Ariz.-based group is eyeing Cannon AFB, N.M.—which is in search of a new mission—as a potential spot to gain relief from some of the military aircraft noise generated by flights out of nearby Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. Some Tucson residents, according to the Portales (N.M.) News-Tribune, want to preserve Davis-Monthan but shift some missions 400 miles east to Cannon. One mission they’d like to see go is “Operation Snowbird,” which brings in northern tier Air National Guard and other military air units to “winter” in Arizona. The News-Tribune reports, however, that ANG doesn’t want to move.
Amid a high-profile recruiting crisis, Air Force leaders and experts have increasingly noted the challenging long-term trends the service will face in enticing young Americans to sign up—decreasing eligibility to serve, less propensity to do so, and less familiarity with the military. But while those same leaders say there’s no “silver…