Richard Hudson: “I have grave concerns about the proposed deactivation of the 440th Airlift Wing located at Pope Army Airfield contained…”

“I have grave concerns about the proposed deactivation of the 440th Airlift Wing located at Pope Army Airfield contained in the President's budget. The 440th is absolutely critical to conducting the kind of training that both airborne and special operations forces located at the epicenter of the universe in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, rely on to conduct the high-risk missions they are charged with in combat. Beyond the immediate hit on readiness, the retirement will have an impact on over 1,200 servicemembers and their families directly associated with the unit. While I understand we face challenging fiscal times, I expect the Department to take a broad approach when it comes to finding savings. While retiring a particular airframe may make sense on paper, it is incredibly important that we take into account the value of a joint force structure. I find it hard to believe that out-of-State units can provide the same quality of training and operations as the local units that have the long-term relationship with the commanders on the ground. Additionally, cutting Fort Bragg's airborne operations by an estimated 23 percent could further erode our readiness at a time when the United States simply cannot afford it, eliminating the ability to rapidly mobilize, train, and deploy our most in-demand forces, namely the airborne and special operators. I look forward to working with my colleagues to prevent these devastating cuts to our forces. ____________________”