DATE: Tuesday, April 22, 1997               TAG: 9704220010

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B10  EDITION: FINAL 
TYPE: Editorial

                                            LENGTH:   47 lines

HORNETS CAROLINA TRIES A STING

The latest battle between Virginia and North Carolina concerns not water but air.

As military bases have closed and defense budgets have contracted, there have been winners and losers. The consolidation of Navy resources in Hampton Roads has been a logical, perhaps inevitable consequence and has made this area a big winner in relative terms.

A North Carolina government-business alliance sought to win some of the 175 F/A-18 Hornets that are being moved from Florida to Oceana Naval Air Station in Virginia Beach for North Carolina's Cherry Point Marine Air Station. But the Carolina effort met with disappointment.

Now, in a last ditch attempt to reverse a decision that went against them, the North Carolina group is quibbling over a minor environmental issue - whether air quality in Hampton Roads meets standards required for the move to take place.

In fact, there seems little doubt that smog is not a problem. And if the good of the military is taken into consideration, there's no doubt that the right decision was made in the first place. Oceana offers more efficiencies and synergies than Cherry Point.

Many Navy personnel and dependents have also expressed a preference for Virginia Beach, which offers numerous amenities compared to the isolated Carolina location. A decision to send the planes to North Carolina would make no sense militarily or environmentally. It should be rejected out of hand.

This minor skirmish may be seen as a taste of things to come, however. Downsizing hasn't come to an end, and the battle for resources can be expected to become more intense as the forces shrink.

Last week, the possible grounding of two local squadrons due to budget shortfalls was announced. William Fricks, chairman of Newport News Shipbuilding, spoke of the possibility of a 150-ship Navy ahead.

Hampton Roads has had many eggs in the military basket for many years. One of the world's great natural harbors means a continuing naval presence as far as the eye can see. Defense will remain the leading employer for years to come. Hampton Roads must continue to compete aggressively to retain and attract all the military presence it can.

But continuing reductions and rationalizations must also spur the region to redouble efforts to attract new non-defense employers and to diversify its tax and employment bases. The fight for the Hornets is a portent of leaner, meaner times ahead.

Send Suggestions or Comments to webmaster@scholar.lib.vt.edu