Executive Correspondence – Base input forwarded in 7 Volumes from Col. Mike Brandt of the 131st Fighter Wing Page: 1 of 49
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DCN 5103
Testimony of Brigadier General Sidwell
Adjutant General of the Missouri National Guard
Before the Base Realignment and Closure Commission
St. Louis Regional Hearing
June 20, 2005
Members of the commission and members of Congress, on behalf of the citizen
soldiers of the Missouri Air National Guard I'd like to thank you for the opportunity to
discuss my thoughts and concerns regarding some of the recommendations made in the
Base Realignment and Closure Report (BRAC). As the Adjutant General of the Missouri
National Guard, one of my primary responsibilities is the defense of Missouri and the
United States. The realignment of the 131st Fighter Wing and relocating the nation's
most capable air superiority fighter, the F-15C Eagle, will significantly detract from this
mission.
Our nations National Security Strategy states, "Defending our Nation against its
enemies is the first and fundamental commitment of the Federal Government". The
National Defense Strategy makes protecting the U.S. homeland the highest priority for
the Department of Defense. However, it appears homeland defense was not adequately
considered when the BRAC 2005 attributes to military value were developed. By not
creating accurate attributes, BRAC 2005 created a military value rating system that does
not reflect a unit's actual military value and therefore, the BRAC of 2005 will be
realigning and closing Air National Guard bases which are crucial to the homeland
defense mission based on what I feel are flawed criteria. I agree with Senator Bond that
the Air Force BRAC process substantially deviated from BRAC statutory criteria and the
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Executive Correspondence – Base input forwarded in 7 Volumes from Col. Mike Brandt of the 131st Fighter Wing, letter, July 22, 2005; (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc18399/m1/1/: accessed April 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.