[Scan-DC] Changes at Willow Grove PA

[Rapbep@aol.com]

All,

Got this from another list:

This was in the
Philadelphia Inquirer yesterday regarding how Willow
Grove NAS/JRB recently came under the control of the
Navy's Mid-Atlantic division.



Homeland-security role brings base a higher status
By Chris Gray
Inquirer Staff Writer

War times historically have been good times for the
Willow Grove Naval Air Station and Joint Reserve Base.

The Navy established the Montgomery County outpost in
World War II as a training ground for pilots and the
headquarters of a highly classified antisubmarine
program.

And now, as reservists and National Guard units take
on larger roles in homeland security and the wars in
Iraq and Afghanistan, Willow Grove is again attracting
attention - and money - from the Pentagon.

In March, the Department of Defense and the Federal
Aviation Administration installed a $9 million digital
radar system at the base that allows for better air
surveillance. A $5.2 million Navy Lodge for visitors
is under construction on the base in Horsham Township.
And this week, Willow Grove came under the control of
the Navy's Mid-Atlantic division - a move that bumps
up its status as a reservist base.

"This will make us a lot more relevant," Capt. Layne
Smith, the base commander, said in an interview. "It
also gives us access to the latest... in equipment and
training."

The base's mission will continue to be the training
and processing of the 12 major reserve and National
Guard units stationed at Willow Grove, Smith said. All
four branches of the armed forces have a presence at
Willow Grove, which serves as home base for 5,000
reservists, 1,200 active-duty personnel, and 600
civilians.

But, the activities will be coordinated by the Navy
division that controls the Naval Station at Norfolk,
which will link the reservists even closer with the
active-duty military, he said.

"The Department of Defense is investing in us," Smith
said. "To us, that's confidence."

It is also the result of lobbying. Since Smith, 52,
arrived at the base in July 2002, he has touted Willow
Grove's proximity to Washington, New York and other
possible terrorism targets to promote the station as a
base for homeland-security operations.

He has made some progress. Recently, the base has
helped the Bureau of Immigration and Customs
Enforcement and the Coast Guard with continuing
projects. Willow Grove was going to serve as local
headquarters for the Federal Emergency Management
Agency during Hurricane Isabel before the storm took a
westward turn, Smith said.

Republican State Sen. Stewart Greenleaf, whose
district encompasses Montgomery and Bucks Counties,
believes that Willow Grove is emerging from its
overlooked status.

"I suppose in the past it was probably not recognized
for its importance," Greenleaf said. "It's come to the
fore recently because of the greater need for the use
of National Guard and Reserve troops."

U.S. Rep. Joseph M. Hoeffel (D., Pa.) noted that
Willow Grove's ability to handle varied functions and
military branches could keep it off the dreaded Base
Realignment and Closure list.

"With such a booming reserve component and growing
active-duty component and the only air base around, it
does provide a distinctive service that warrants
keeping the base open," he said. "It's good for the
local economy."

But Smith denies that his promotion of Willow Grove is
to keep it from closing. With the increased reliance
of the military on reservist activity, it makes sense
from a training standpoint to make the base as viable
as possible, he said.

"My job is to make Willow Grove the most capable it
can be," Smith said. "If I can do that, the base can
stand on its own."




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