Against administration wishes, the bill says the Navy must have 12 aircraft carriers. It also requires the Air Force to maintain a fleet of 44 combat-ready B-52 bombers until 2018 or until a comparable long-range strike aircraft is developed.
Thirty-five of the bombers are housed at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota.
"We've known all along in North Dakota that the B-52s are an indispensable part of our national defense," Rep. Earl Pomeroy, D-N.D., said in a statement. "The House of Representatives has joined us in sending that message today with this resounding endorsement."
Saving the B-52's is not about national defense. It is about keeping an Air Force base open back here in ND. One in my community, specifically.
Now, I love our base. It brings a lot of great people to our community who in turn spark a lot of economic activity. Having the troops here in Minot is wonderful for our town, and losing the base would be a hardship for everyone who lives here. That being said, I do not see the logic behind putting the base's economic impact on North Dakota ahead of the overall mission of the military.
Decisions concerning the military should be made with national security and foreign policy concers as priority #1, not economic development.