Wing hoping for FP improvements

  • Published
  • By Col Mike Callan
  • 71st Flying Training Wing
Team Vance -- we are poised for success!
Welcome back from the long three (maybe three plus)-day Labor Day weekend! Minus the odd Saturday evening thunderstorm that brought more rain to the base, I trust you and your family enjoyed a pleasant and sunny break from the smell of JP-8, and you returned refreshed and recharged to get our Joint Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training mission accomplished.
My focus this week with members of Team Vance is to highlight our upcoming design and construction efforts that we're hoping will be funded at the end of fiscal 2004 or at worst, early in fiscal 2005! The most important one begins with our Force Protection (FP) Enhancement -- the much needed stand-off we are designing for the front of the base. Through the efforts of many (military, civilian and contractor), our FP Enhancement begins with extending Gott Road (our main gate) to the north by approximately one-half mile. Our road extension has been coordinated with city and state design planners to meet the city and state's $3.6 million project to improve Southgate Road and to build a new road from Southgate Road to meet our Gott Road Extension. This will be our first step in finally allowing us to geographically protect some of the base's northern critical infrastructure. This is our number one Operations and Maintenance, or O & M, project; and with end-of-year funding from Air Education and Training Command, we are poised for success if or when funding support becomes available.
As Gott Road gets extended, we are also hopeful for financial support to install our FP Enhancement perimeter fence that will enclose the base's northern perimeter. It will allow our security forces to extend protection to the base on both the new Gott Road extension and Cleveland Road during increased FP conditions. Finally, a new security gate has also been designed and again if funding becomes available, we are poised for success. With the road extension, perimeter fence and security gate funded (maybe?), the other projects that put a "first-class" view to the base's northern approach (Visitor's Center, vehicle inspection areas, etc.) will be captured under a military construction project. We are all working very hard to complete these design efforts and forward them to AETC for inclusion in the next Future Years Defense Plan.
As fiscal 2004 comes to a close, we are very optimistic about these force protection efforts to make Vance Air Force Base even safer for all of Team Vance to accomplish our vital JSUPT mission. Please be sure your squadron or group O & M unfunded projects are submitted to the Wing financial manager, and we'll keep our fingers crossed for AETC support. Welcome back!!