combat training – Battlefield training program may locate at Arnold Air Force Base

It?s called CBAT, and if it comes to Arnold Air Force Base in Coffee County it could mean the infusion of millions of dollars into the region?s economy, according to government officials.

CBAT stands for Common Battlefield Airman Training, which is a program being instituted by the U.S. military in an effort to prepare airmen for combat on the ground ? a situation they are running into much more often these days in deployments to countries like Iraq and Afghanistan.

This multi-million dollar military training project is presently in the planning phase and three bases are currently under consideration.

Those bases are:

? Arnold AFB in Tennessee

? Moody AFB in Valdosta, Ga.

? Barksdale AFB in Shreveport, La.

According to AEDC public affairs spokesman Joel Fortner, the Air Force is in the Environmental Impact Statement process, which is a series of studies and public meetings designed to gauge how the project will affect the communities involved. This data will be used to decide where the mission will eventually be implemented.

?There was a public meeting back in December to get comments, to allow the public to voice any concerns,? Fortner said. ?There will be two comment periods, the one in December and another one coming up this year.

?Because it?s such an enormous mission, the environmental impact, meaning not only the impact on nature, but the impact on roads, schools, economic impact, all of this is compiled into a report,? Fortner said. ?This report will be one of variables that is looked at when they decide where they want to put this unit.?

Though Fortner says economic impact studies have been done on only three counties, Coffee, Moore and Franklin, the general impact on the region, particularly Coffee and Franklin counties, will be substantial. Fortner also noted wherever the project goes, it will have a beneficial effect on the southeast region.

?It?s a multi-million dollar economic impact,? Fortner said. ?And really, whether it?s at Arnold, Barksdale or Moody, the economic benefits to the area would be welcomed.?

Fortner explained more about what CBAT is and what the program hopes to accomplish.

?You can think of it as a schoolhouse to train airmen in ground combat skills,? Fortner said. ?It?s a school that?s going to take training beyond current levels, and the reason for that is that more and more airmen are finding themselves on the ground in combat situations in some theaters, in Iraq and Afghanistan currently.?

Fortner says the scale of this operation could be huge.

?If CBAT goes to full implementation you?re looking at upwards of 14,000 airmen who will be trained annually,? Fortner said. ?You?re looking at around 600 instructors, 200 base support people, potentially 800 incoming jobs. And all those jobs will have a potential impact on the economy. From a facility standpoint you?re probably looking at approximately 166 new buildings, which would equate to approximately 124,000 square meters, and that?s a lot of construction. So the construction dollars would be enormous.?

The final decision on which base will get CBAT will be made by Jan. 20, 2008, according to Air Force officials.

At this point, Fortner says there is no way to predict Arnold?s chances of getting CBAT.

?The answer I?d have to give you is that our chances are as good as anyone else?s,? Fortner said. ?Of course, we believe that Arnold has a lot to offer the Air Force.?

According to government figures, Arnold Center?s economic impact is already growing in the region. For fiscal year 2006, Arnold?s impact on Middle Tennessee neared $600 million, an increase of almost $45 million over fiscal year 2005.