By Mary Alice Murphy

Congressman Steve Pearce and House Armed Services Committee Vice Chairman Mac Thornberry held a brief teleconference Wednesday.

They had completed a tour of three of New Mexico's military bases, Holloman and Cannon Air Force bases, and White Sands Missile Range.

"We also toured the Trinity Site," Pearce said. "It was a two-day tour. I worked the chairman hard."

Thornberry said he appreciated the opportunity to visit the bases and meet the dedicated personnel.

"It was incredibly helpful to me to understand why Steve insistently advocates for the southern New Mexico bases," Thornberry said. "They are the cutting edge of our national defense. I really enjoyed spending time with those really smart folks at White Sands.

"The bases are important for the defense of our country," he continued, "especially the F-16s and the international training. Since my visit, I keep bringing up at meetings with top Pentagon officials, the importance of training the German personnel. Germany is a top ally. It was also encouraging and hopeful to get acquainted with the relatively young folks, who are impressive and dedicated to serving our country."

He said flying around White Sands Missile Range was eye-opening for him because of its crucial and irreplaceable role in national security.

"I appreciate Steve's commitment to our national defense," Thornberry said. "He understands the importance of having top quality facilities and top quality people for our national security."

A radio program operator, who introduced himself as being from Alamogordo, was streaming the teleconference live and asked several questions: "Can you be more specific about the new mission coming to Holloman?"

Pearce said the F-16s continue to be moved to the base, but the mission is not yet complete. "We are still calling it a new mission. We think we are still in the running as a back up for the F-35s. Our advantage in New Mexico is that for training purposes, when we are in the air, the pilots are already in the training area and do not have to fly an hour each way to get to a training area. It's one of our really valuable assets, because no one loses valuable training time. We don't need tankers to refuel, so we will be one of the low-cost options. These young people are stellar performers. I say thanks to them for their service and sacrifice.

The man on the radio asked if there were a possibility of more international training coming into Holloman. "We are honored to have the German Air Force here. There has been some discussion that they will be bringing some of their own equipment."

"I've been engaged in this discussion," Pearce said. "The Germans looked at Spain among other places, but we are deeply engaged in this conversation because of the value we have of being right into the training area."

Thornberry said the Germans love being in the area. "They are appreciative of the support of the community. I think the issue of bringing their equipment is dependent on German military budgets. There is a large effort by the U.S. to have other countries increase their military budgets. What's important is to be as welcoming as you can be, and you have showed that."

"With Iraq and Syria, we see the importance of joint international training," Thornberry continued. "We can't do it all. It is critical to have the same training. Our flying range value will increase. I don't want to see these training ranges disappearing. I reiterate that we cannot do it all."

Pearce thanked the vice chairman for traveling to New Mexico to visit the bases. "He understands the needs of the county. I also want to thank the soldiers and the listeners to this call."

Thornberry concluded by saying he looks forward to working together with Pearce.