Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pennsylvania) says he won’t give up his fight to save Moon Township’s 911th Airlift Wing.
On Thursday, the senator said he would release a letter to the National Commission on the Structure of the Air Force rallying for the Airlift Wing to remain open.
Casey argues the base is valuable in terms of economics and national security.
“I’m sure there aren’t many who could point to a base in this country, a military installation in this country, that provides that kind of efficiency, that kind of cost-savings, in addition to being a good bet and a good investment for taxpayers,” he said.
The future of the 911th Airlift Wing has been in question since February 2012 when it was announced the base would close due to Air Force cost-cutting. Last March, the Air Force overturned their decision and the Airlift Wing was safe through 2014.
With its future up in the air once more, Casey argued the 911th has saved more than $84 million since 2006 because its high efficiency.
“There aren’t a lot of programs,” he said, “even national programs, that you can point to that save that kind of money in a short time period.”
The National Commission on the Structure of the Air Force will present to the president a report on base closure recommendations on Feb. 1.
