News

Pentagon releases base-closing information
By Celeste Calvitto, Journal Staff Writer

It's going to be a long weekend - not to mention a long summer - for the people who are laboring to make the case to save Ellsworth Air Force Base.

What could be crucial information from the Department of Defense on the rationale for including Ellsworth in its base-closing recommendations has finally landed, according to South Dakota's U.S. senators and the Ellsworth Task Force. But it may be too late to include in their presentations during the Base Realignment and Closure Commission hearing in Rapid City on Tuesday.

Alex Conant, spokesman for Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., said the information could likely hold a key to efforts to keep Ellsworth open.

"The Defense Department finally released the information that we consider to be the Rosetta Stone of the data, including what was needed to interpret what had previously been released," Conant said late Friday. "The Pentagon had years to prepare for this but then waited until the last minute. That's irresponsible."

"We have been disadvantaged for over five weeks now," Pat McElgunn, director of the task force, said late Friday, referring to the May 13 announcement that Ellsworth is on the DOD list and the subsequent piecemal release of backup data. "At this late date, the value of information as it relates to our effort on Tuesday will really not alter what we are saying, unless we see something that jumps right out at us."

The last wave of DOD data hit Thursday and Friday, after Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., and Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, issued a subpoena for everything that had not been released.

"I'm looking at some of it right now," McElgunn said. "It's like 1,200 pages."

But McElgunn emphasized that the BRAC hearing on Tuesday is "only the beginning" in terms of continuing to supply the BRAC commission with reasons why the Pentagon erred in putting Ellsworth on the closure list.

"The 21st is our day in front of the BRAC commissioners, and we are going to preface our presentation by saying that we haven't had the time - and they haven't had the time - to digest the information," he said. "But we do think we are favorably positioned to make some compelling arguments."

And there will be more to come, McElgunn said.

"The first inning of the game was the 13th of May. We are now somewhere in the second or third inning. Over the next few weeks, we will offer them more supporting arguments," he said.

The BRAC commission has until Sept. 8 to forward its independent review of the DOD recommendations to President Bush.

"We are working with the Ellsworth Task Force to prepare for the June 21 hearing," Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.D., said in a written statement. "While every bit of additional data released by the Pentagon helps us to make our case with the BRAC Commission, the delays in releasing information have been unnecessary. The Department of Defense had time to prepare for the timely declassification and release of critical information; for reasons beyond me, they simply didn't."

Three members of the BRAC commission will hear testimony from military, political and expert witnesses Tuesday from 1 p.m. until 3 p.m. at Rushmore Plaza Civic Center. There will be no comments from the public.

Contact Celeste Calvitto at 394-8438 or celeste.calvitto@rapidcityjournal.com