Armed Services Committee Member Garamendi Fights for Beale Air Force Base, Urges Congress to Keep MC-12 Program in Air Force

WASHINGTON, DC – Continuing his fight to protect the missions at Travis and Beale Air Force bases, Congressman John Garamendi (D-Fairfield, CA), a Member of the House Armed Services Committee, yesterday sent a letter to the Congressional Armed Services Conference Committee, urging them to keep the MC-12 surveillance aircraft program in the Air Force. If adopted, language in the Senate Armed Services Committee’s version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) would transfer the MC-12 program, currently stationed at Beale Air Force Base, to the U.S. Army.

Garamendi’s letter follows an earlier successful effort led by Garamendi and other Congressional representatives in California to locate the mission at Beale Air Force Base. Congressman Garamendi also joined Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, Congressman Wally Herger, and other Members of Congress today in a bipartisan bicameral letter expressing support for keeping the MC-12 program in the Air Force.

"The MC-12 program is a critical component of our intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions, and the airmen at Beale have run the program with the professionalism and dedication our national security requires," Congressman Garamendi said. "There’s an old saying: if it’s not broke, don’t fix it. I urge the Armed Services Conference Committee to avoid a costly disruption and to keep the MC-12 program where it’s already working."

"As a Member of the House Armed Services Committee, I’m committed to preserving the missions in California that are vital to national security and regional prosperity," Garamendi added. "Defense experts from the left, right, and center agree that the core missions at Travis and Beale – ISR and air mobility included – must remain essential priorities for national defense. No matter what comes down the pipeline, I’m committed to seeing these programs remain in Northern California."

Congressman Garamendi’s complete letter to the Conference Committee is included here and below. The previous letter to bring the MC-12 program to Beale is here. The bipartisan bicameral letter urging the Conference Committee to keep the MC-12 program is here.

Congressman Garamendi’s Letter to the Conference Committee

Dear Chairmen Levin and McKeon and Ranking Members McCain and Smith:

As a Member of the House Armed Services Committee, I urge you to omit from the conference report on the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 (NDAA) any provision that removes the MC-12W Liberty aircraft from the Air Force. Any such provision, such as the one included in the Senate version of the NDAA that would transfer the MC-12W to the Army, would directly contradict a joint-recommendation made by Air Force Secretary Donley and Army Secretary McHugh that the MC-12W remain within the Air Force. As the Secretaries point out in the enclosed letter, the MC-12W is a proven intelligence system that is relied upon daily to identify, track and locate terrorists, and that transferring the MC-12W would be disruptive to ongoing operations. Thus, ceasing to maintain the MC-12 within the Air Force would undermine intelligence collection and our national security.

Thank you for your consideration of this request and your continued work to ensure a strong national defense.

Sincerely,
JOHN GARAMENDI
Member of Congress