Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota

[Federal Register: March 1, 1995 (Volume 60, Number 40)]
[Notices ]               
[Page 11571-11572]

    Recommendation: Realign Grand Forks AFB. The 321st Missile Group 
will inactivate, unless prior to December 1996, the Secretary of 
Defense determines that the need to retain ballistic missile defense 
(BMD) options effectively precludes this action. If the Secretary of 
Defense makes such a determination, Minot AFB, North Dakota, will be 
realigned and the 91st Missile Group will inactivate.
    If Grand Forks AFB is realigned, the 321st Missile Group will 
inactivate. Minuteman III missiles will relocate to Malmstrom AFB, 
Montana, be maintained at depot facilities, or be retired. A small 
number of silo launchers at Grand Forks may be retained if required. 
The 319th Air Refueling Wing will remain in place. All activities and 
facilities at the base associated with the 319th Air Refueling Wing, 
including family housing, the hospital, commissary, and base exchange 
will remain open.
    If Minot AFB is realigned, the 91st Missile Group will inactivate. 
Minuteman III missiles will relocate to Malmstrom AFB, Montana, be 
maintained at depot facilities, or be retired. The 5th Bomb Wing will 
remain in place. All activities and facilities at the base associated 
with the 5th Bomb Wing, including family housing, the hospital, 
commissary, and base exchange will remain open.
    Justification: A reduction in ICBM force structure requires the 
inactivation of one missile group within the Air Force. The missile 
field at Grand Forks AFB ranked lowest due to operational concerns 
resulting from local geographic, geologic, and facility 
characteristics. Grand Forks AFB also ranked low when all eight 
criteria are applied to bases in the large aircraft subcategory. The 
airfield will be retained to satisfy operational requirements and 
maintain consolidated tanker resources.
    If the Secretary of Defense determines that the need to retain BMD 
options effectively precludes realigning Grand Forks, then Minot AFB 
will be realigned. The missile field at Minot AFB ranked next lowest 
due to operational concerns resulting from spacing, ranging and 
geological characteristics. Minot AFB ranked in the middle tier when 
all eight criteria are applied to bases in the large aircraft 
subcategory. The airfield will be retained to satisfy operational 
requirements.
    Return on Investment: For Grand Forks, the total estimated one-time 
cost to implement this recommendation is $11.9 million. The net of all 
costs and savings during the implementation period is a savings of 
$111.8 million. Annual recurring savings after implementation are $35.2 
million with an immediate return on investment. The net present value 
of the costs and savings over 20 years is a savings of $447.0 million. 
Savings associated with the inactivation of a missile field were 
previously programmed in the Air Force budget.
    Return on Investment: If Minot AFB is selected, the total estimated 
one-time cost to implement this recommendation is $12.0 million. The 
net of all costs and savings during the implementation period is a 
savings of $114.8 million. Annual recurring savings after 
implementation are $36.1 million with an immediate return on 
investment. The net present value of the costs and savings
[[Page 11572]] over 20 years is a savings of $458.6 million. Savings 
associated with the closure of a missile field were previously 
programmed in the Air Force budget.
    Impacts: For Grand Forks AFB, assuming no economic recovery, this 
recommendation could result in a maximum potential reduction of 2,113 
jobs (1,625 direct jobs and 488 indirect jobs) over the 1996-to-2001 
period in the Grand Forks County, North Dakota economic area, which is 
4.7 percent of the economic area's employment. Environmental impact 
from this action is minimal and ongoing restoration at Grand Forks AFB 
will continue.
    Impacts: If Minot is selected, assuming no economic recovery, this 
recommendation could result in a maximum potential reduction of 2,172 
jobs (1,666 direct jobs and 506 indirect jobs) over the 1996-to-2001 
period in the Minot County, North Dakota economic area, which is 6.1 
percent of the economic area's employment. Environmental impact from 
this action is minimal and ongoing restoration at Minot AFB will 
continue.


From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

[Note: The official version of this document was published in the 
Federal Register from camera copy provided by the Department of 
Defense (DOD).  The graphic (TIFF) files are scanned images of those 
Federal Register Pages.  This ASCII text version of the Base Closure and 
Realignments document (TEXT) is not an official copy and has not been 
certified as identical to the text published in the Federal Register. 
The ASCII text was provided by DOD at a later time solely to facilitate 
online access.  No SUMMARY or PDF files are available for this document.]


[[Page 11571]]