An op-ed in The Reporter expresses support for the commissioners of the Solano County Airport Land Use Commission, who, earlier this month, refused to “rubber-stamp” a request by Wal-Mart to build a super center near Travis AFB, Calif. Commissioner John Foster had the foresight to bring a map of Dover AFB, Del., with the site of the 2006 C-5 crash marked, and overlay it onto a map of Travis. The proposed developed lay within the crash area. Should “even one such accident” striking a “store packed” with shoppers “could be a reason for the federal government to shut down the base and eliminate the 14,000 jobs.”
The Air Force is spending heavily on F-22 improvements through the end of the decade, suggesting it may not retire the jet in 2030 as it previously planned. New sensors, fuel tanks, communications, and electronic warfare systems are among the upgrades that comprise the package.