[CPEO-MEF] Eglin crucial to Vieques replacement

[CPEO Moderator <cpeo@cpeo.org>]

PUBLISHED MONDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2002


Eglin crucial to Vieques replacement
Panhandle base could play major role for Navy
Larry Wheeler
News Journal Washington bureau


WASHINGTON - Eglin Air Force Base may not be the only site to replace 
Vieques, Puerto Rico, for weapons training and military exercises, but 
the sprawling Northwest Florida base might handle more of the crucial 
exercises.

A study by the Center for Naval Analyses concludes there isn't a single 
site available to the Navy that can accommodate all aspects of the 
exercises, which are required of carrier battle groups before they 
deploy overseas.

Instead, a combination of sites, including the 724-square-mile Eglin 
reservation, probably will be used by carrier battle groups and air 
wings after 2003, when the United States is scheduled to stop using 
Vieques.


The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.pensacolanewsjournal.com/news/020402/Local/ST001.shtml