Team to address BRAC uncertainties Published March 19, 2006 By Capt. Michael Meridith 319th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs 3/17/2006 - GRAND FORKS AFB, N.D. -- Months after the Base Realignment and Closure committee reached its final recommendations, questions about the future of Grand Forks Air Force Base still resonate throughout the base and local community – but the answers may be just around the corner. Although the BRAC recommendations called for the realignment of the base’s tanker mission (and a corresponding reduction in military and civilian personnel), subsequent Air Force decisions have paved the way for the establishment of an active duty/Air National Guard associate wing. This associate wing would bring together active duty Airmen and members of the North Dakota Air National Guard’s 119th Fighter Wing – Fargo’s “Happy Hooligans” – to jointly support a future unmanned aerial vehicle mission (the command and control operations would take place in Fargo with the actual aircraft flying out of Grand Forks). Many questions still remain unanswered, however, such as: What is the timetable for drawing down personnel and tankers? When will the base get its UAV mission (and how many and what kind of UAVs will it get)? And where can people turn for transition assistance? According to wing planners, the answers to the first two questions are still very much unresolved. While high-level discussions continue in the senior military and political ranks, the nearest specific milestone toward resolution comes in May with the arrival of a joint Air Combat Command and Air Mobility Command Site Activation Task Force. The SATAF, made up of experts in a variety of fields relevant to the base’s future, will collect information to form the basis of a plan outlying specific actions and timelines for the base’s realignment. “The SATAF is just the first step to identifying the key issues of our realignment,” said Maj. Joe Williams, who leads the 319th Air Refueling Wing’s planning efforts. “While every question won’t be answered during the SATAF, the team will ensure the right information gets to subject matter experts who can develop a plan that effectively balances the needs of our people, the Air Force and the community.” Until the analysis is complete and a plan has been drafted, the wing continues to provide critical support to the Global War On Terror by carrying out its worldwide air refueling mission. While that demanding mission (as well as preparations for this summer’s Operational Readiness Inspection) consumes much of the wing’s attention, efforts are still underway to prepare for any eventuality. Preparation efforts include the development of a strategic plan charting a general direction for the wing over the next few years (whatever the specifics of realignment) and close partnerships with community organizations planning the area’s future. In addition to these efforts, the wing (and the Department of Defense as a whole) have also made a variety of resources available to help civilians, Airmen and families prepare for the future. These resources include civilian employee assistance at www.cpms.osd.mil/bractransition/, military family assistance at www.defenselink.mil/brac/pdf/Family-Resources.pdf and general information on BRAC at www.defenselink.mil/brac/ and www.brac.gov. Personalized assistance is also available through the military personnel flight and civilian personnel office. “There is still a lot of uncertainty about the specifics of our future,” said Col. Bill Bender, wing commander, “but our commitment remains to excellence in whatever mission comes our way, and to provide support and assistance to all members of our base community affected by BRAC.”