Sen. John Warner (R-Va.) got his wish—kind of. The BRAC commission voted not to close NAS Oceana in Warner’s state. The Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee has been lobbying to prevent its closure. However, there are strings attached. The commission said Virginia and local officials have until March 2006 to condemn and buy up property encroaching on Oceana. Failure to do so will result in the movement of Oceana’s activities to Cecil Field, Fla.
Air Force depots are not typically meant for quick repair jobs, but during Operation Epic Fury, the service moved some of its stateside heavy maintenance capability forward to fix battle-damaged aircraft closer to the fight.
