[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 57 (Tuesday, March 28, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4691-S4692]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                        MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE

  Mr. BAUCUS. Mr. President, this weekend, the Base Closure and 
Realignment Commission comes to Great Falls for a hearing on the future 
of Malmstrom Air Force Base. And as both the Great Falls community and 
the BRAC Commissioners prepare for the hearing, I would like to recall 
a piece of history many have forgotten.
  In 1942, as the United States entered the Second World War, President 
Roosevelt and Gen. George Marshall selected Malmstrom Air Force Base 
for a critically important mission. They chose this to be the main base 
for Lend-Lease supplies to the Soviet Army.
  Over the next 3 years, 1942 to 1945, Malmstrom pilots made over 
10,000 flights to the Soviet Union. They gave the Soviet Army trucks, 
tank parts, and other supplies crucial to the defense of Leningrad, the 
Battle of Kursk, and other watershed events in the European theater.
  Now, you may ask, why Malmstrom?
  The answer is simple. This air base is practically at the geographic 
center of North America. Thus it is the one place that is most secure 
military locations anywhere. At the same time, because flights to 
Europe and Northern Asia fly over the North Pole, there is no 
continental airbase closer to Japan and Russia than Malmstrom.
  So, paradoxically, Malmstrom Air Force Base is among two very 
important groups: First, the bases most secure against foreign attack, 
and second, the bases most strategically important in wartime.
  I am pleased to say that the Air Force recognizes this. In their 
report to the President last March 1, they said Malmstrom should remain 
a principal site for our land-based strategic nuclear forces.
  But they also made a more puzzling recommendation. They asked the 
President to reverse two previous BRAC decisions, and move 
Malmstrom's squadron of KC-135 tanker aircraft to Florida.
  Though I do not believe this would make much military sense. So I 
hope the BRAC Commissioners look closely at Malmstrom, listen to the 
community, and make the right decision to keep the tankers where they 
are now.
  As the 1992 BRAC found, Malmstrom is a good place for the tanker 
squadron, and can support an expanded rather than a contracted flying 
mission.
  That is no accident. Since the days of Roosevelt and Marshall, the 
Air Force has put a great deal of money into making Malmstrom a top-
level base for our nuclear missiles and for the flying missile. They 
have done a good job; and they had good reasons to do it.
  First of all, we may again need Malmstrom's service in wartime.
  Everything human--whether it is technology, relations between 
governments, or anything else--is subject to change. But geography is 
not. We will 
[[Page S4692]]  never have a better location for a strategic airbase 
than Malmstrom, which is both invulnerable to naval attack and as close 
as a continental airbase can be to Eurasia.
  Second, Malmstrom is ideal for peacetime operations. The Great Falls 
area is perfect for Air Force training missions, because they do not 
call Montana the Big Sky State for nothing.
  The airspace around Malmstrom is wide open. Visibility is excellent. 
There are no big mountains or even buildings for that matter nearby. 
And the weather is almost always sunny and dry. In fact, Malmstrom has 
the best flying weather in the area, and is already an alternative 
landing site for the other bases in the region. And, as the prairie is 
thinly populated, there are very few big metropolitan areas where 
frequent training missions could annoy local residents.
  Third, Malmstrom will remain an ideal location for the foreseeable 
future. The Cascade County and Great Falls municipal governments work 
closely with base commanders to keep plenty of open ground between 
Malmstrom and the town.
  Because we are a thinly populated State, the Air Force can be 
confident that even if there is substantial local growth, no property 
developer will build right up to the wire.
  So disruption to the local community will always be minimal. 
Complaints by local citizens will be few or nonexistent. And, perhaps 
most important, the open ground ensures that base security will always 
be protected much more effectively than it could be in a heavily urban 
area like MacDill.
  Finally, of course, Malmstrom has top-quality facilities for flying.
  It has an airstrip good enough to support 10,000 Lend-Lease flights. 
And it has first-class maintenance capability to protect today's high-
performance aircraft. In fact, Malmstrom is the only airbase in the 
Pacific Northwest with an anticorrosion facility.
  Mr. President, we are very confident, that a careful, unbiased review 
will show that Malmstrom Air Force Base is an unequalled national 
security resource. Its strategic location, excellent flying and 
maintenance facilities, and multiple-mission capability make it a 
perfect site for this tanker squadron.
  So Great Falls welcomes Commissioners Cox, Davis and Kling to the 
community. They can expect a warm, hospitable Montana reception. And we 
look forward to the chance to make our case this weekend.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. NICKLES. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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