DELEGATION INVITES NAVY COMMANDER TO TOUR BNAS

Washington, D.C. -– Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins and Representatives Tom Allen and Michael Michaud have invited the Commander of Naval Air Forces, Vice Admiral Michael Malone, to tour Brunswick Naval Air Station. The Delegation feels it is important for Navy officials to see first-hand the quality of work, the dedication of the workers, and the depth of physical assets that BNAS has to contribute to Naval operations as the military proceeds with nationwide base evaluations.

"Brunswick Naval Air Station is a critical element in Atlantic fleet operations as well as providing services for deployed assets," wrote the Delegation in a letter to Vice Admiral Malone. "Brunswick Naval Air Station is also the only active military air facility in the northeast continental United States. It is a naval station in the heart of Maine's coast and whose decades-long presence has been as beneficial to the local communities as much as the local communities have been to the base."

Members of the Maine Congressional Delegation have been united in their efforts to preserve BNAS through the next round of military base closures. They have written to U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to highlight that the air station is used by other branches of the military and NATO allies, has successfully accommodated increases in demands in support of combat operations, and has shown great fiscal efficiency with high quality results. They also wrote a letter to Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Vernon Clark, requesting a briefing about the Navy''s plans for the testing and use of maritime patrol Unmanned Aerial Vehicles at BNAS.

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