Another Congressional delegation has its eye on the F-35 prize, with the News Miner reporting Oct. 23 that Sen. Mark Begich (D), Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R), and Rep. Don Young (R) sent a letter earlier this month to Air Force Secretary Michael Donley that cited Eielson as the “perfect base geographically” with its expansive airspace. (The Arizona delegation also penned a letter to Donley, noting that the Goldwater range at Luke made it a prime candidate.) Alaska’s Young asserted in a statement to the newspaper, “Eielson is the best place for the F-35s, and I hope the Department of Defense can recognize that.” Last year, Eielson supporters believed the base was on a short list for the F-35, but the Air Force appeared to start over when it announced its new plan last month to whittle down potential sites.
Since President Donald Trump first unveiled his “Golden Dome” missile defense initiative in late January, much of the focus for it has been focused on space—how the Pentagon may deploy dozens, if not hundreds, of sensors and interceptors into orbit to protect the continental U.S. from missile barrages. But the Air…