By Mary Alice Murphy

The final "Environmental Impact Statement for Special Use Airspace Optimization to Support Existing Aircraft at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico," was issued in January 2021.

The EIS has as the preferred alternative, Alternative 1, the expansion to the east and south the existing Talon MOA (military operations area), nearer to the location of Holloman AFB near Alamogordo, New Mexico, than the proposed Alternatives 2 and 3 which would, by creating the Lobos MOA, have sent many training missions over Grant County night and day.

According to the abstract of the EIS, the special use airspace will support the training of F-16 pilots stationed at Holloman AFB. The proposed action included expanding existing airspace or creating new special use airspace, which could have impacted Grant County with frequent flights over the Gila National Forest.

The modifications being proposed, the abstract read, would result in "appropriately sized and configured airspace needed to conduct training activities for F-16 pilots stationed at Holloman Air Force Base."

The reason given for the need to create expansion of the special use airspace was that when the SUA was developed more than 30 years ago, it met the requirements for legacy aircraft training, but it no longer meets the needs of modern aircraft training. Also, current use over the White Sands Missile Range is somewhat limited as its use has expanded for other activities.

One of the primary missions of Holloman AFB is to train F-16 pilots to be combat ready. Each pilot is required to fly multiple sorties, which consists of the flight of a single aircraft with a takeoff, mission and landing. Each sortie meets a specific training requirement, so it requires airspace with the appropriate area, altitudes, proximity to the base and attributes such as the use of defensive countermeasures or munitions.

The proposed action would increase training efficiencies and provide suitable F-16 pilot training airspace.

At least two public meetings took place in Grant County about the proposed actions and Grant County commissioners heard from retired Air Force officer Susan Beck, a couple of times, as she sought to provide accurate information to alleviate concerns.

A large group, which filled the Grant County Veterans Memorial Conference Center, had a few who presented support to have flights over Grant County, but mostly brought out those completely opposed to the expansion of training airspace over the Gila National Forest into the proposed Lobos MOA.

The final EIS presents as its preferred alternative, Alternative 1, the expansion of the existing Talon MOA to the south and east of the present area in Otero, Chaves and Eddy counties. It will extend the area into more of Chaves and Eddy counties, not quite doubling the size of the MOA. Other alternatives, expanded into areas to the west and north of Talon, expanding existing Cato MOA/ATCAA (Air Traffic Control Assigned Airspace) and overlying Smitty MOA, plus creating the Lobos MOA to the west, which would have impacted Grant County and the Gila National Forest.

For more tables and maps, visit http://hollomanafbairspaceeis.com and choose documents and references to see the PDF of the final EIS, which includes all the alternatives and multiple appendices.