SENATE MEMORIAL 64

50th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2012

INTRODUCED BY

David Ulibarri

A MEMORIAL

RECOGNIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF NEW MEXICO'S MILITARY INSTALLATIONS.

     WHEREAS, New Mexico's military installations, Cannon air force base, Holloman air force base, Kirtland air force base and White Sands missile range, play a vital role in our national defense; and

     WHEREAS, New Mexico's military installations provide significant economic benefits to the state and important research and development programs that are essential to ensure the prosperity and security of the state and the nation; and

     WHEREAS, on October 1, 2007, Cannon air force base became home to the 27th special operations wing, a mission that is expected to include five thousand personnel and their families and more then one hundred aircraft dedicated to special operations around the globe; and

     WHEREAS, Cannon air force base provides a total economic impact of over four hundred fifty million dollars ($450,000,000), with an estimated local job creation impact of almost fifty million dollars ($50,000,000); and

     WHEREAS, Holloman air force base is home to the 49th fighter wing, composed of two squadrons of mission-ready F-22 raptor fighter aircraft, and has also become home to the newest unmanned aerial systems formal training unit in the air force; and

     WHEREAS, Holloman air force base provides a total economic impact of almost seven hundred million dollars ($700,000,000) and employs almost twelve thousand personnel; and

     WHEREAS, Kirtland air force base is responsible for multiple missions within the United States air force, including the air force nuclear weapons center, the air force operational test and evaluation center, the space development and test wing and the air force research laboratory; and

     WHEREAS, Kirtland air force base, the largest employer in the state, has a total economic impact of almost eight billion dollars ($8,000,000,000), with an approximate local economic impact of over four billion dollars ($4,000,000,000); and

     WHEREAS, White Sands missile range provides important research, development and testing and evaluation for the United States military, including missile development, directed energy and unmanned systems testing, and has an estimated economic impact of over six hundred million dollars ($600,000,000);

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the importance of New Mexico's military installations be recognized for the vital role they play in the nation's national defense, the significant economic benefits they bring to New Mexico and the essential research and development they provide to ensure the prosperity and security of the state and the nation; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this memorial be sent to Cannon air force base, Holloman air force base, Kirtland air force base and White Sands missile range.

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