New Special Ops wing scores Cannon resources

The transfer of about 350 military personnel and several MC-130J aircraft from Cannon Air Force Base to an Arizona air base over the next several years is part of a larger effort to create a new Special Operations wing at the Arizona base. That's according to Air Force and Congressional officials.

Cannon is among three Air Force bases that will contribute to the new "Power Projection Wing" of the Air Force Special Operations Command at Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson, Ariz.

The other two are Nellis Air Force Base at Las Vegas, Nev., and Hurlburt Field in Florida. Hurlburt is the home of the central command for the Air Force's SOC operations nationwide.

A news release from the office of U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, R-Fla., stated the Air Force announced that 600 of the nearly 9,000 service members at Hurlburt will be relocated to Davis-Monthan over the next five years to help establish the 492nd Special Operations Wing.

Information on Nellis' contribution was not immediately clear.

Cannon is home to the 27th Special Operations Wing of the SOC, and houses 5,000 to 6,000 military personnel.

Davis-Monthan is the home of the A-10 "Warthog" jets that are being phased out, according to Air Force sources.

News reports from Tucson state that lobbying efforts by Arizona's Congressional representatives and a city of Tucson lobbying group may have influenced the Air Force's decision to place the new AFSOC wing at Davis-Monthan to replace the A-10 operations.

Cannon AFB officials were silent on the loss of aircraft and personnel. Asked to respond, Jozlin Mollete, a Cannon spokesperson, emailed, "A public release from the Air Force is expected on Wednesday with more information. Until then please direct your questions to AFSOC Public Affairs."

Questions submitted to the AFSOC central command public affairs office on Monday morning did not receive a response before Tuesday afternoon.

The announcement of the transfer from Cannon came Friday in a news release sent jointly by U.S. Sens. Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján, both D-N.M., U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández, D-N.M., and Clovis Mayor Mike Morris.

"We are extremely disappointed in this decision by the Air Force's leadership, and we are dedicated to preserving Cannon as a stronghold of Air Force Special Operations, ensuring its continued contributions to national security," the news release stated.

Further, the release stated, "We will continue our work to secure both a commitment and a concrete plan from the Air Force to increase its investment in Cannon. And we will keep doing all that we can to deliver for the service members, civilians, and families of Cannon AFB and the surrounding community."

In an interview Tuesday, Morris said he was heartened by the way the Air Force responded to the loss of the A-10 aircraft and personnel for Tucson.

"That was something like 200 airplanes," he said, and all the personnel that come with them.

If the Air Force responded that way for the Tucson community, he said, he is confident the Air Force will respond in a similar way for Cannon communities.

Morris said he is working the Clovis Chamber of Commerce and Clovis Economic Development Corp. on a joint news release with additional information.

Portales Mayor Ron Jackson said Tuesday he was "disappointed that there was not more information given to the communities" before the decision was made.

"We were not informed in a timely manner," he said.

Jackson also said it was "not atypical for rural areas to be treated this way."