Defense cuts could have huge impact in Calhoun County
BATTLE CREEK, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) – Newschannel 3 has gotten an exclusive look at a new military aircraft that the Department of Defense is threatening to eliminate in order to meet massive cuts to their budget.
That proposal could put thousands of people out of work in Calhoun County.
Representative Kate Segal tells Newschannel 3 that losing the C-27J aircraft program at the Battle Creek Air National Guard Base would directly impact disaster response from either natural or terrorist causes, weaken the state's security and devastate the economy in Calhoun County.
On Thursday the Department of Defense proposed canceling the C-27J aircraft program as part of a larger plan by Congress to cut $487 billion from defense spending over the next ten years. Rep. Segal says she's ready to stand against that move.
“We are gathering the troops locally,” said Rep. Segal. “We have fought these types of closures before. We are ready and we have a community behind us and we are going to stand up for this base.”
The C-27J is the newest cargo aircraft in the Air Force. Planes like it are expected to arrive at the base in the fall to assist the Air Force in homeland security, disaster response, and medical evacuation.
“For example, an individual that's deployed, we may have to get them home expeditiously, bring them home quickly, to get them home to any emergency he or she has,” said Lt. Craig Warn of the 110th Fighter Wing.
If Congress decides to cut the mission, Rep. Segal says the closure of the base would devastate Calhoun County's economy.
“This base is part of a strong military presence in Calhoun County,” said Rep. Segal. “It's 7.5 percent of our employment rate between all the military bases and personnel.”
Rep. Segal says it could be years before Congress decides on the fate of the C-27J. In the meantime she's vowing to fight for it and the thousands of jobs that depend on it.
Rep. Segal says she's encouraged that Senator Carl Levin has asked the Department of Defense to consider closing foreign bases before looking at those in the United States.
