In the News

The headline certainly got your attention.

The Air Force will retire its B-1 and B-2 bombers.

Not good, considering Abilene's Dyess Air Force Base has been home to B-1 bombers since the summer of 1985. For 33 years, the rumble of its jet engines has been a daily reminder that Abilene planes keep our nation the home of the free.

The 2018 budget recently passed includes a dramatic increase in defense spending, with Republicans saying that a reverse in priorities was needed after cuts made by the past administration.

The Air Force made its announcement amid updates for the FY 2019 budget.

This was unexpected new but not bad news.

The Air Force has had a plan to fly the B-1 and the dependable B-52 until 2040, according to Air Force Magazine. The B-2 would be used to 2058.

So, end dates had been set.

The timetable, however, has been moved up for the newer planes. The apparently ageless B-52 will fly on.

If the B-1 was to go away, another long-range bomber would have to take its place. The B-21 from Northrop Grumman, a warplane that in 2010 dollars would cost $550 million each, is under development. It still may be 10 years before it goes to work, meaning the B-1 still has many missions ahead.

The bigger news Monday was that bases currently home to B-1 and B-2s will remain open and welcome the next generation bomber. There, of course, will be a transition process, which sounds exciting.

Dyess not long again transitioned from the C-130H models to the upgraded Js, and its squadron of haulers last year became a wing.

Change can be good.

And no change can be better.

" ... bases that have bombers now will have bombers in the future," said Secretary of the Air Force Heather A. Wilson.

Quicker than you could say "winner, winner chicken dinner," we, as a community, were smiling. The work is not over to land the B-21 at Dyess but Monday's statements were encouraging news for Abilene.

"Dyess Air Force Base is one West Texas-sized step closer to basing the B-21 bomber," U.S. Rep. Jodey Arrington said . "This is a generational opportunity for West Texas and, while I am extremely confident the B-21 will grace the Key City. I will continue to be vigilant in championing Dyess to Secretary Wilson, Gen. Rand and the entire Air Force leadership until I see the secretary's signature on the dotted line."

Gen. Robin Rand is commander of Air Force Global Strike Command.

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, who visited Dyess in April 2017 and called its mission "enduring," said, “The exceptional airmen at Dyess have proven their ability time and again to produce combat-ready crews, and this will help them to further enhance Air Force readiness.

"The fleet of B-21 Raiders will benefit not just the Abilene community, but also our national security for decades to come.”

This is not a done deal. We all know too well that few things are given these days. There is more to consider than swapping one bomber for another.

Arrington said he will encourage Air Force officials to keep moving forward and to announce their decision as soon as possible. While Dyess is well positioned to welcome the new bombers, there will be work to do, especially if the base for a time is home to two bombers.

This is not getting a big box of chocolates for Valentine's Day ... it's opening the box and finding your favorite chocolates.

And there's a second layer.

https://www.reporternews.com/story/opinion/editorials/2018/02/14/dyess-air-force-base-news-sweeter-than-box-chocolates/332979002/