Hill Air Force Base may be the benefactor of a base realignment plan that would see the 58th Special Operations Wing moved from Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque.
A previous plan would have moved the wing in-state to Holloman Air Force Base in Alamagordo, N.M. "The Holloman option looks like it is very expensive, maybe not cost-effective," Maj. Gen. Jay Blume, special assistant to the Air Force chief of staff, said Monday.Hill is now an alternate site under consideration for the 58th, along with Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla.; and Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz.
Hill spokesman Lt. Col. Frank Urben said he did not know Hill was being considered as a new home for the commando-training wing, but added that Hill stands ready to put out the welcome mat. "I've said all along that we have the ability to accept new components," Urben said. "I've been in special operations. Hill would be a good place for them."
The Defense Department in February recommended cutting 6,850 jobs at Kirtland. The recommendations are now before the Base Realignment and Closure Commission, which must issue a final recommendation by July 1. Hill is also set to lay off 700 workers as part of an Air Force-wide reduction not related to base realignment or closure.
Blume said the Air Force hopes to save money by moving the 58th and eliminating Kirtland's 377th Air Base Wing, which provides security, housing and other services to base tenants such as the Department of Energy's Sandia National Laboratories and the Air Force's Phillips Laboratory.