Air Force: 911th Airlift Wing Mission Secure Through 2014

The 911th Airlift wing in Moon will remain open for another year, but uncertainty remains about its future.

The 911th Airlift Wing will keep its eight C-130 tactical aircraft through 2014, maintaining its full flying mission for one year.  U.S. Rep. Tim Murphy, R-Upper St. Clair, announced today that a planned 2013 closure of the base will not occur. Operations at the base will continue into next year, Murphy said in a statement.  The Air Force renewed the base's mission today. The 911th has faced previous closure attempts, including one in 2005. “The past 12 months aside, countless members of our community have been fighting since 2004 to block misguided and misinformed attempts to close the 911th," Murphy said in a statement. The 911th's mission after 2014 remains unclear. Murphy said efforts to stave off a closure have not ended. “Despite …

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Murphy, Lt. Gen. Moeller Tour of 911th Airlift Wing Cancelled Due to Weather

The Air Force official was expected to conduct an on-the-ground-inspection of the wing today.

A planned tour and assessment of the 911th Airlift Wing to be taken by Rep. Tim Murphy, R-Upper St. Clair, and Air Force Lt. Gen. Michael Moeller has been cancelled due to inclement weather.  Murphy invited Moeller to tour the facility today and discuss the air base's future in a closed-door meeting, according to a statement from the Congressman.  The U.S. Air Force has again taken initial steps toward closing the airlift wing after March 2013—after the expiration of a law put in place to delay a closure.  Military officials said closing the 911th, which employs 1,100 military and 300 civilian personnel, would save $350 million. All personnel positions on the base would be eliminated under the proposed closure.  Murphy and other local …

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171st Refueling Wing Could Receive New Aircraft

The Air Force has named the Moon Township base a candidate to receiving the Boeing KC-46A refueling aircraft.

The 171st Refueling Wing in Moon Township has been named a candidate base to receive new Boeing KC-46A refueling aircraft, according to an Air Force statement.  Four other Air National Guard bases have also been selected as candidates to receive the KC-46A tanker, including installations in Ohio, New Hampshire, New Jersey and Kansas. The Air Force is seeking to establish two main mobile operating bases for the aircraft—one an Air National Guard base and the other an active-duty Air Force base.  The 171st Refueling Wing is now home to more than a dozen KC-135 tankers, which were manufactured in the 1950s. The newer KC-46A is capable of carrying more cargo and fuel than its predecessor, according to the Air Force.  Establishing the new …

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Air Force Secretary Visits 911th Airlift Wing

Secretary Michael Donley tours the Moon Township air base.

At the request of Pennsylvania lawmakers, Air Force Secretary Michael Donley toured the 911th Airlift Wing in Moon Township Thursday.  The Air Force announced plans earlier this year to shutter the Moon-based wing and lay off each of its more than 1,100 military and 280 civilian personnel positions as a part of an effort to reduce federal defense spending. The closing would retire each of the base's C-130 aircraft, which are among the oldest tactical planes in the country.  No details were available on Donley's tour of the wing.  Reps. Tim Murphy, R-Upper St. Clair, Mike Doyle, D-Forest Hills, Jason Altmire, D-McCandless, Bill Shuster, R-Hollidaysburg, and Mike Kelly, R-Butler, released a joint statement on Donley's visit.  “It’s an …

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Fight to Save 911th Arrives in Moon

Military supporters today gathered at a rally to protest the Air Force's planned closure of the 911th Airlift Wing.

Hundreds of military supporters gathered earlier today on Airside Drive in Moon to protest the planned 2013 closure of the 911th Airlift Wing. Rep. Tim Murphy, R-Upper St. Clair, and Rep. Mark Critz, D-Johnstown, as well as members of Moon Township's Board of Supervisors were among those who gathered in Airport Cargo Building A to express opposition to the Air Force's decision to shutter the base. Despite its recently announced plans to close the Moon-based airlift wing, the Air Force has invested more than $58 million in infrastructure at the base in the past five years, according to Murphy's recent testimony before the House Armed Services Committee. The base tomorrow will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the opening of Building …

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Talk of the Town

Murphy Calls 911th Closure the 'Quick and Easy' Decision

The Congressman criticizes the Air Force for its plans to shutter the Moon-based 911th Airlift Wing.

Rep. Tim Murphy, R-Upper St. Clair, told members of the House Armed Services Committee Tuesday that closing the Moon-based 911th Airlift Wing would be "like an NFL coach being told to cut its roster by removing its first string."  Murphy argued against the Air Force's planned closure of the installation, slated to take place by the end of 2013. The Congressman touted recent Iraq and Afghanistan deployments by members of the base during his testimony before the committee.  Murphy and other members of the Pennsylvania delegation are attempting to prevent the closing of the airlift wing, which would eliminate more than 1,100 military personnel positions.  The base closure is a part of an effort to drastically cut federal defense spending. The…

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Murphy Meets with School District Officials on 911th Closure

The Moon Area School Board adopts a resolution condemning the base closure.

U.S. Rep. Tim Murphy, R-Upper St. Clair, fielded questions Monday night from members of the public and the Moon Area School Board on the upcoming closure of the 911th Airlift Wing.  Murphy presented school board members with a report from Air Force officials outlining reasons for the base's closure, which Murphy said did not include a cost analysis of the Moon-based wing. Murphy said the report did not account for the more than $50 million spent on new facilities at the base since 2004 or its use of four 10,000-foot runways at Pittsburgh International Airport for an annual cost of $20,000.  "How does this happen in Washington?" said school board member Jeff Bussard. "Is this some kind of sheer shortsightedness? It seems to escape logic…

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County, National Officials Rally with Supporters of 911th, 171st Air Wings

Veterans and local officials protest the planned closing of one Moon Township military base and reductions at another.

The region's military supporters joined county and national officials Tuesday night in Pittsburgh to protest the planned closure of the Moon-based 911th Airlift Wing.  More than 150 veterans and others gathered at a rally at Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall in Oakland to urge U.S. military officials to reconsider closing the airlift wing  The Air Force announced plans earlier this year to shutter the 911th in 2013, eliminating 1,100 military and 280 civilian jobs in the move. The neighboring 171st Refueling Wing also has been targeted for realignment and personnel layoffs. U.S. Rep. Tim Murphy, R-Upper St. Clair, stood alongside U.S. Reps. Mike Doyle, D-Forest Hills, Jason Altmire, D-McCandless, and Mark Critz, D-Johnstown, and Allegheny …

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911th Commander Reassigned After Wing Closure Announcement

Col. Jeffrey Pennington will serve at a base in Texas.

911th Airlift Wing Commander Col. Jeffrey T. Pennington has been reassigned to the 433rd Airlift Wing at Lackland Air Force Base in Alamo, Texas. The move comes just weeks after the Air Force announced it would finalize the planned closure of the 911th and eliminate each of its military and personnel positions.  Pennington will take his position at the 433rd in May. He has served with the Moon-based 911th since 2010. It is unclear who will lead the 911th until its planned closure in 2013.  Pennington will be the senior officer at the Texas-based wing, overseeing 1,663 Air Force Reserve members and 320 civilians, according to an Air Force statement.  Pennsylvania lawmakers and local military supporters have said they will work to prevent …

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clearfield

11:36 am on Friday, March 23, 2012

Back during the last BRAC, it was proven by professionals submitting documentation that the 911th was the most efficient base in the country. It makes no sense to close the most efficient, or, at least, one of the most efficient operations in the country.   more ›

President Obama Addresses 911th Airlift Wing Closure

Obama talks to KDKA about the planned closure of the Moon airlift wing.

President Barack Obama said the military must make "some very tough choices" in efforts to slash federal defense spending, reports KDKA's Jon Delano.  Delano questioned President Obama earlier this week about the planned closure of the 911th Airlift Wing in Moon Township, which has been slated to close as a part of the Pentagon's plan to cut $8.7 billion from the Air Force's 2013 budget.  Lawmakers, including Rep. Tim Murphy, R-Upper St. Clair; Sen. Bob Casey, D-Scranton; Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Zionsville; and other members of Pennsylvania's Congressional delegation, last week sent a letter to Obama, asking him to intervene in the closure of the base.  The Air Force targeted the 911th for closure for its aging tactical aircraft and geographic …

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