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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Fairchild’s defenders are ever vigilant



 (The Spokesman-Review)
Bert Caldwell The Spokesman-Review

If preparedness is the key to a strong defense, Washington should do well next year when the Pentagon decides which of its bases in the United States should be closed.

A study released Tuesday that emphasizes the economic importance of Washington’s major Army, Navy and Air Force installations will be followed later this year by another from the Office of Financial Management intended to show the interdependence between the state and the military, its largest single employer.

A joint committee of the Legislature released another study in April. Locally, a Forward Fairchild task force has been set up by the Spokane Regional Chamber of Commerce to defend the Air Force base and, potentially, identify opportunities for expansion.

The drill has become a familiar one.

The Pentagon has conducted four other base reviews since 1988. Base Realignment and Closure is intended to match the services’ evolving military missions with the appropriate facilities. Surplus bases are sold. Only two Washington installations have been affected by past rounds.

The next list is due in May. Economic impacts must be considered along with the military missions, although with a lower priority.

Economist Paul Sommers, who helped prepare the OFM report, estimates Washington’s bases pump $7.3 billion into the state economy. That sum represents 5.7 percent of all economic activity.

In Spokane County, activity at Fairchild represents almost nine percent of the overall economy. The base directly employs 6,262 uniformed and civilian personnel, and carries a $293 million payroll, almost five percent of the total for the county. Total base-related employment is 12,851, generating $570 million in income.

But that is just the start of Fairchild’s contributions. The base also reimbursed providers for $31 million in medical care in 2003, and processed $145.1 million in pensions to military retirees. The base let some $14 million in supply contracts to county businesses. And a very impressive $13.4 million in housing assistance payments was provided to personnel living off the base.

Avista Corp. economist Randy Barcus, who worked with Sommers on his study, says Spokane’s still relatively low housing costs allow enlisted men and officers receiving allowances between $700 and $1,000 per month to buy nice homes, something that would be out of the question in other areas.

Some airmen facing reassignment try to find renters so they can keep the homes for retirement purposes, he says, adding “They’re thinking this is just the greatest place.”

Barcus notes Sommers’ study did not measure Fairchild’s benefits to Kootenai County. Nor did it take into account the impact of military units not associated with Fairchild. He estimates all defense-related activity in the Inland Northwest contributes $1.1 billion to the economy.

Although the possibility the base would be closed cannot be dismissed, Barcus says Forward Fairchild officials are more intent on identifying what new missions might be assigned to the base from others targeted for closure.

“It’s got the right mission in the right location in the right space,” says Barcus, who foresees 50 percent growth at Fairchild over the next five years. The expansion could entail as much as $500 million in construction on the base, and up to $2 billion more in the surrounding area.

He expects all the Washington bases to survive review because all fulfill vital missions, are well-maintained, and are popular with military personnel because of the quality of life in surrounding areas.

Sommers says he knows of no other state that has done an economic analysis as detailed as that compiled by the OFM, but he expects some may use the Washington study as a model. Although how the military weighs economic issues in its assessments has never been entirely clear, he says, the state studies should at least get residents and officials focused on the challenges ahead.

The findings will also give the new governor and legislature one last opportunity to address any problems before the Pentagon finishes its work. It’s good to be prepared.