Base closings - tough but fair?

The Pentagon has been working diligently for the past 15 years to downsize its operation in the wake of the Cold War.

During the years after World War II and up until the Reagan era, the American military was in a state of constant readiness and a state of near-constant growth. The Soviet threat was a real one and had to be countered with appropriate deterrent forces.

One such deterrent was a nuclear arsenal that could be delivered via missile, submarine or bomber. In Montana, Malmstrom Air Force Base became part of the Strategic Air Command and even today remains the home of 200 Minuteman III missiles and 4,200 military and civilian workers.

Indeed, Malmstrom is the centerpiece of the Great Falls economy. That's why all Montanans breathed a sigh of relief when the latest round of the Base Realignment and Closure process left Malmstrom untouched.

Downsizing the military may make perfect sense from a strategic and economic point of view nationally, but it needs to be handled with due respect for the communities like Great Falls that over the years became full partners with the military. That's why the realignment process is being handled as far away from political pressure as possible. Tough decisions about our national security must be made on the basis of what is best for the country, not what state has the most congressmen.

Other cities around the nation were not as lucky as Great Falls, and their citizens must be confident that the closure and downsizing decisions were the result of serious consideration of the changing threats facing the nation, and not the result of who knows who.

Meanwhile, Montana and Great Falls did not escape unscathed. The Pentagon has proposed moving or retiring all 15 of the F-16 aircraft flown by the Montana Air National Guard. That means more than 100 jobs are likely to be lost, even though the Guard unit itself will not be closed. In addition, a U.S. Army Reserve Center in Great Falls would also be closed.

Such changes can certainly sting, but as long as there is no hint of partisan politics in the decision-making, the sting can be salved.

That's why we wonder at the motives of Sen. Max Baucus in signing on to a bill that would delay the current Base Realignment and Closure round. Realistically, Montana got off relatively easy, and we think it is prudent to not tempt fate by keeping the process open any longer than necessary.

We understand why Sen. Thune of South Dakota is trying to stall the process in order to try to save Ellsworth Air Force Base, but we don't know what Baucus hopes to accomplish. Doesn't he realize that South Dakota's gain would represent someone else's loss?

Let's accept the good fortune we have been handed and not stir the pot too much, lest it spill over and we get burnt.