Gov. Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania issued a statement Nov. 12 withdrawing a plan that would have given new life to NAS JRB Willow Grove. He wrote in a letter to Defense Secretary Robert Gates that the plan for Willow Grove to host military, homeland defense, and emergency preparedness missions is kaput, because he said: “federal authorities have firmly signaled that they do not intend to assign an Air Guard flying mission to this installation. Lacking that mission, it’s difficult to justify state expenditures.” BRAC 2005 put the facility on its hit list, sending Air National Guard (111th Fighter Wing) and Air Force Reserve Command (913th Airlift Wing) aircraft elsewhere. (Navy and Marine Corps aircraft also moved out.)
Lt. Gen. Philip A. Garrant, head of Space Systems Command, praised the Space Development Agency and endorsed its continued independence within the Space Force—a key vote of confidence amid uncertainty gripping the agency.
