Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota and Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico were both on the Pentagon's wish list of base closings, but the nine-member base-closing commission voted to keep them open. Cannon will lose its aircraft, however.
Sen. John Thune of South Dakota and state politicians had lobbied hard to keep Ellsworth open and save some 4000 jobs. "This fight was not about me," Thune said. "This whole decision was about the merits. It had nothing to do with politics."
Also, a federal judge in Pennsylvania ruled that the Pentagon had over stepped its authority in closing an Air National Guard unit in that state without the governor's approval. This action caused the commission to put ANG recommendations on hold.
