Nevada Land Withdrawal Meeting
Las Vegas 3/2/94
Statement by Col. Bud Bennett, Nellis Range squadron commander:


     "I know that as concerned citiizens you have many questions about why the
Air Force wishes to have an additional 3,972.04 acres of land. I'm afraid that I
can't answer many of those questions, but let me explain a few things.
     "The Nellis Range Complex, or the NRC, is a very valuable resource for
 the military, and we consider the range complex to be a national treasure. On
it, we train and we test and we learn. The NRC is unique in that it's the
largest piece of real estate in the United States where withdrawn land is
overlapped with restricted airspace.
     "We need a safe place to practice where we are not interfering with
commercial aircraft, where we are not over populated areas, where we can shoot
guns and drop bombs and do other things that permit us to be the best air force
in the world.  We need a secure place where the bad guys cannot readily gather
information about our systems, or our tactics.  And that's what the Nellis Range
Complex represents to us.
     "Withdrawals and restrictions of access to selected geographical areas are
not done capriciously. Rather, for the military these actions are takeen in the
interest of national security to protect the technological edge of U.S. military
capabilities and enhance effective military operations and training.
     "In the late 1970s, all lands used by the military had to be identified
and revalidated.  The Military Lands Withdrawal Act of 1986, with an amendment
in 1988, withdrew the land currently in the Nellis Range Complex.
     "Included in these limited land withdrawals are portions of the Nellis
Range Complex which support critical Department of Energy and Department of
Defense programs.  The most recent annual security review affirmed the need for
continued classification of these areas.   The United States recently identified
the need to withdrraw the White Sides-Freedom Ridge area. This request is
currently being processed by the Department of the Interior and is the subject
of this hearing.
     "When the Nellis Range Complex withdrawal occurred in 1988, certain higher
elevations near the east side of the range were not included in the withdrawn
area.  The continually increasing visits by people to this area has posed a
concern for public safety and the safety and security of activities on the
range.
     "When someone is on White Sides or other nearby areas, altitude and route
changes have to be made by aircraft to avoid harming them and to prevent
disclosure of operational matters. Some missions have to be delayed or canceled.
This impacts the effective use of the Nellis Range Complex.
     "The area proposed to be withdrawn was looked at very carefully, and in
  discussions with BLM we were told to keep the amount to a minimum.  We
carefully did so, selecting several thousand acres less than was originally
roughed out....
     (Shows charts and summarizes withdrawal process.)
 "The Air  Force has taken almost a year evaluating the matter, staffing the
package, consulting with BLM and other agencies and considering other options.
Land withdrawal was deemed to be the best solutiion....
 "We're having this hearing and the previous Caliente meeting because we want to
hear the concerns of our neighbors. Now, I can't discuss certain matters.  I
can't discuss specifically what we're doing on the Nellis Range Complex.  I can
tell you that we do not intend to reuse the proposed withdrawal area except for
a buffer security area.
     "I can tell you that the Air Force takes the environment seriously and
works with the respective state and federal agencies to ensure that we don't
abuse the environment. The desert research Institute is conducting the
environmental assessment of this proposed withdrawal, and as many of you know,
DRI is a well-respected environmental organization affiliated with the
University of Nevada and with the state. The internal draft environmental
assessment has beeen sent to BLM and is presently in review.
     "For those of you who believe we still neeed a strong military, I hope you
understand that lives are saved by keeping tactics and training and capabilities
closely held.  For those who believe there should be no secrets, nothing I can
say will change your views.  However, I respect your right to express your
views.
     "Thank you very much for letting me give you a little background, and I'll
very carefully listen to your comments.''


----------------------- Headers ------------------------
From 72436.2365@CompuServe.COM Tue Mar  8 06:55:29 1994
From: "Timothy R. Gaffney" <72436.2365@CompuServe.COM>