Thomas Daschle: “the Air Force is currently evaluating five military bases to see which would be the best home for its new unmanned…”

“the Air Force is currently evaluating five military bases to see which would be the best home for its new unmanned surveillance craft, known as Global Hawk. Accordingly, the Air Force is using the final 2 weeks of June to send a team out to each of the five candidates to solicit public opinion on potential environmental impacts. The next such meeting occurs Friday in Rapid City, SD and focuses on Ellsworth Air Force Base. For the past year or so, I have been making the case for Ellsworth to senior officials in the Department of Defense and the Air Force. Perhaps not surprisingly, I firmly believe Ellsworth represents the best choice for the Air Force to host this important new mission. As we approach the date of the Air Force's meeting in South Dakota, I thought I would say a few words here in the Senate about why I feel as strongly as I do. Although I am confident none of my colleagues will be surprised by this position, they may find some of what I have to say about Ellsworth surprising. Friday's meeting moves the Air Force one step closer to a deployment decision on the Global Hawk system. I and the scores of other supporters of Ellsworth welcome a careful, objective review. We are confident that at the end of such a process the Air Force will conclude that Ellsworth is the most appropriate home for the Air Force's next generation of surveillance aircraft.”