The Navy has derailed plans by Pennsylvania to take charge of NAS JRB Willow Grove, telling the Air Force that a transfer of the property from the Navy to the Air Force has no legal foundation under BRAC procedures or current regulations. The Air Force, in turn, planned to turn the property over to the state, under a plan floated by Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell. In a statement on the setback, Rendell calls the Navy decision “extremely shortsighted.” He believes “the Navy is obliged by the wording of the BRAC Commission report to ensure that Willow Grove continues to support military operations, including flight operations.” Rendell continued: “Willow Grove and its airfield and flight facilities are too vital a military and homeland security resource to be abandoned. We will continue to pursue our efforts to maintain this installation for military use as a joint interagency base.”
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…