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RESOLUTION URGING THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE TO CONTINUE, INDEFINITELY, TO UTILIZE THE HOMESTEAD AIR RESERVE BASE FOR ACTIVE MILITARY OPERATIONS AT CURRENT OR GREATER LEVELS; AND URGING THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS TO CONTINUE, INDEFINITELY, TO FUND THE HOMESTEAD AIR RESERVE BASE AT CURRENT OR GREATER LEVELS FOR SUCH PURPOSES

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WHEREAS, according to its official website, the Homestead Air Reserve Base is maintained and operated by the 482nd Fighter Wing, Air Force Reserve Command, as a fully combat-ready unit capable of providing F-16C multi-purpose fighter aircraft, along with mission-ready pilots and support personnel, for short-notice worldwide deployment; and
WHEREAS, the 482nd Fighter Wing has more than 2,500 members, including more than 1,700 traditional reservists, of which more than 240 are full-time reservists, in addition to more than 250 full-time civilians; and
WHEREAS, the 482nd Fighter Wing is also home to the 367th Fighter Squadron,�an active duty unit integrating with the 482nd Fighter Wing (Reserves) under the Total Force Integration concept, with more than 170 active duty members assigned; and
WHEREAS, the 482nd Fighter Wing supports and trains civil engineering, communications, medical, logistics, aircraft maintenance, mission support, aerial transportation specialists and a security forces squadron that can be deployed interchangeably with active-duty units to meet U.S. Air Force commitments around the world; and
WHEREAS, the 482nd Fighter Wing regularly hosts combat units from all over the world with its unique geographic location; and
WHEREAS, visiting units come to South Florida to take advantage of the superb flying weather and the abundant training airspace in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico; and
WHEREAS, the Homestead Air Reserve Base is the southernmost air base in the continental U.S. with a large runway and, as such, is strategically located with the shortest air distances to the Caribbean, Central/South America, and Africa; and
WHEREAS, today�s Air Force is more than 30 percent smaller than it was during Operation Desert Storm, resulting in an unprecedented reliance on the continuous use of the modern Air Force Reserve in day-to-day, world-wide operations; and
WHEREAS, in fact, the Air Force Reserve Command provides the U.S. Air Force about 20 percent of their capability with only about four percent of the total Air Force budget; and
WHEREAS, the 482nd Fighter Wing has a high operations tempo, engaging in year-round training to ensure personnel and equipment remain deployable and combat-ready; and
WHEREAS, since 9/11, the 482nd Fighter Wing has supported numerous deployments to include: Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom, Operation Noble Eagle, Operation New Horizons, Operation Viper Javelin, Operation Unified Response, Operations Northern and Southern Watch, and Operation New Dawn; and
WHEREAS, the Homestead Air Reserve Base is also ideally located for air defense missions for the Southern U.S.; and
WHEREAS, the Homestead Air Reserve Base currently provides basing for the 24/7 alert for U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM) and North American Air Defense Command�s
(NORAD) air defense mission for the southeastern United States provided by Detachment 1 of the 125th Fighter Wing (Florida Air National Guard), which will be transitioning to F35 aircraft operations; and
WHEREAS, the Homestead Air Reserve Base and adjacent property provide basing support to multiple federal joint and interagency operations and missions including: the headquarters facility and support for the Special Operations Command, South; aviation operations for the Customs and Border Patrol�s Miami Air and Marine Branch; basing and training facilities for the United States Coast Guard�s Maritime Safety and Security Team; and numerous smaller tenant organizations; and
WHEREAS, the Homestead Air Reserve Base is an important logistics and supporting location for contingency plans and response operations conducted by the Commander, U.S. Southern Command, Commander, Homeland Security Task Force Southeast, and The Adjutant General of the Florida National Guard; and
WHEREAS, the Homestead Air Reserve Base is part of an ongoing South Florida regional Military Installation Resilience Review (MIRR) study funded by the Department of Defense�s Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation, with matching funds from the State of Florida, that is identifying ways the surrounding community can further enhance the resilience and mission assurance of the base and its tenant commands; and
WHEREAS, sustaining and enhancing the Homestead Air Reserve Base is important to the Miami-Dade County economy, particularly that of South Miami-Dade, because it already contributes 4,700 direct and indirect jobs, nearly $400 million in direct expenditures each year, and more than an estimated $800 million in total economic benefits when indirect impacts are considered; and
WHEREAS, planning and development efforts are underway by the South Dade Aerospace Technology Hub Consortium and Miami-Dade County to further develop aerospace industries adjacent to the Homestead Air Reserve Base that leverage the air base�s proximity and can further generate mutually beneficial economic activity with industries that support national defense missions and civilian employment for Air Force Reserve technicians that serve at the Homestead Air Reserve Base; and
WHEREAS, this Board recognizes that the continued funding and operation of the Homestead Air Reserve Base is important to national security as well as the local and regional economies, and that its future operational capacity should be protected,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA, that this Board:
Section 1. Urges the United States Department of Defense to continue, indefinitely, to utilize the Homestead Air Reserve Base for active military operations at current or greater levels; and urges the United States Congress to continue, indefinitely, to fund the Homestead Air Reserve Base at current or greater levels for such purposes.
Section 2. Directs the Clerk of the Board to transmit a certified copy of this resolution to the members of the Florida Congressional Delegation and to the Secretary of the United States Department of Defense.
Section 3. Directs the County�s federal lobbyists to advocate for the actions set forth in section 1 above, and authorizes and directs the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs to amend the 2023 Federal Legislative Package to include this item.