Rep. Murphy: Air Force 'Doesn't Have the Data' to Close 911th Airlift Wing

U.S. Rep. Tim Murphy said he came away "disappointed" after meeting today with Air Force officials in an effort to change their plans to close the Moon-based 911th Airlift Wing. 

Murphy, R-Upper St. Clair, said military officials remained unmoved after a meeting in which he and other members of Pennsylvania's congressional delegation argued its cost-effectiveness and its value to Western Pennsylvania.

Air Force officials next week are expected to provide lawmakers with data on civilian employees of the 911th and how they would be affected by the closing, Murphy said. The Air Force made the decision to shutter the base without conducting a cost-analysis study that would compare its operations with those at other air bases in the country, he said.

The Air Force last week announced its the 911th as a part of an $8.7 billion initiative aimed at curbing federal defense spending. Other bases, including the 171st Refueling Wing in Moon, would undergo a realignment under the plan. The 911th is the only U.S. base slated to . 

Murphy, who spoke to reporters at the Pittsburgh International Airport after returning from Washington, DC, said military officials cited a need for "geographic balance" and the 911th's aging aircraft as reasons for the planned closure. Each of the base's C-130 aircraft will be retired under the plan. 

"If we hadn't asked the questions, we would never have known that they just didn't have the data," Murphy said. 

Murphy has that would require congressional approval or a completion of a cost-benefit analysis before the Air Force is permitted to close the base. Local officials have touted cost savings associated with both the 911th and the 171st: Both bases share runways with Pittsburgh International, which the Allegheny County Airport Authority maintains. 

The 911th pays $20,000 a year for access to the airport's four runways. The decline in the number of commercial flights has reduced air traffic, allowing for more check rides and touch-and-go flights for military aircraft assigned to the bases. 

"Air traffic control, fire and safety — that's all provided by the airport," Murphy said. "We asked them, 'Have you done a cost comparison [to other U.S. bases]?' and they had not." 

More than 1,200 military personnel and 318 civilians are employed at the base. The Air Force has not addressed plans for handling their assignments if the base should close. 

"Quite frankly, we didn't ask (about employee reassignments) because we thought it would be premature," Murphy said. "We're still working to make sure the base stays open." 

Murphy said the 911th has invested more than $50 million in the base since 2004, constructing several new facilities for medical training, lodging and aircraft maintenance. 

In addition, the Pentagon has announced plans for a $13 million Navy Operational Support Center on the 911th's grounds as well as a $23 million regional , which would be located at the intersection of University Boulevard and Interstate 376. 

"If you go onto the 911th's base it looks new, and that's because it is new," Murphy said. "You're going to see a lot of empty buildings (if it closes)."

In addition to Murphy, Pennsylvania Sens. Bob Casey and Pat Toomey and Reps. Jason Altmire, Mike Doyle, Bill Shuster, Glenn Thompson and Mark Critz also attended the meeting today in Washington. Maj. Gen. William H. Etter, deputy director of the Air National Guard, and Brigadier Gen. James Jackson of the Air Force Reserve attended on behalf of the military. 

Local leaders have said that as many as , including the base's support services and contractors, could be threatened by the closure of the base, which provides tactical airlift support.