Last week, newly elected Arizona Congresswoman Martha McSally issued a statement after President Obama requested in his budget to retire the A-10 Warthog ahead of schedule and retire 7 EC-130 Compass Call aircraft at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. In that statement McSally glossed over the fact that the Air Force’s planned end of the A-10 in 2016 marks the slow death of Davis Monthan.
Contrary to her claims during the election that she and her associates were fighting for replacement aircraft if the A-10’s demise occurred, a document obtained today shows that the base is not expected to receive new missions.
It is not until 2019, according to the document, that Davis Monthan will receive a handful of F-16’s as part of a reserve unit. According to experts, that move will only bring in a handful of jobs, and approximately 70 percent of those jobs will be part-time.
Experts expressed concerned for the real estate market as a result of the stark map. As expected, the Arizona congressional delegation appears to have protected Luke Air Force base from the Air Force’s blade.
According to sources, McSally gave a speech this weekend to a reserve unit at DM, but left before receiving a briefing on the latest improvements to the Warthog, which makes it the best provider of Close Air Support.
In 2013, the ADI reported that should the Air Force succeed in the divestiture of the A-10, using calculations previously reported by Davis-Monthan regarding the economic impact on the community of jobs at DMAFB, which injects $1.6 billion into the community annually, the loss of 1,000 jobs in the first round of cuts would result in a loss to the community between $341 million to $480 million annually.
As a result, it is imperative that communities like Tucson, which has a vital economic interest in the continuation of the A-10 program, begin contacting their representatives across the state and demand that they protect the A-10 and Davis Monthan.
In Arizona call:
| Senator John McCain (R) | 202-224-2235 | 602-952-2410 | john.mccain@senate.gov |
| Senator Jeff Flake (R) | 202-224-4521 | 602-840-1891 | Jeff.flake@senate.gov |
| Rep Ann Kirkpatrick (D1) | 202-225-3361 | 520-316-0839 | ann.kirkpatrick@house.gov |
| Rep Marth McSally (R2) | 202-225-2542 | 520-881-3588 | martha.mcsally@house.gov |
| Rep Raul M. Grijalva (D3) | 202-225-2435 | 520-622-6788 | raul.grijalva@house.gov |
| Rep Paul A. Gosar (R4) | 202-225-2315 | 480-882-2697 | paul.gosar@house.gov |
| Rep Matt Salmon (R5) | 202-225-2635 | 480-699-8239 | matt.salmon@house.gov |
| Rep David Schweikert (R6) | 202-225-2190 | 480-946-2411 | david.schweikert@house.gov |
| Rep Ruben Gallego (D7) | 202-225-4065 | 602 256-0551 | ruben.gallego@house.gov |
| Rep Trent Franks (R8) | 202-225-4576 | 202-225-4576 | trent.franks@house.gov |
| Rep Kyrsten Sinema (D9) | 202-225-9888 | 602-956-2285 | krysten.sinema@house.gov |
For U.S. Senate contact numbers, click here.
