Ellsworth Brings Hundreds of New Jobs to SD
Local News
by
Stephany Beshara
last edited on
Monday, June 21, 2010
For nearly a decade our congressional delegation has fought to keep Ellsworth Air Force Base open, and now that fight is paying off. South Dakota Senator John Thune announced a new high tech mission is coming to the base. The Drone, an unmanned aerial vehicle, will soon run it's mission out of Ellsworth.
Ellsworth was one of four considered for the mission and Monday the Air Force announced the new squadron will here by January of 2012.
While the vehicles will be flown overseas, the pilots and crew will be stationed at Ellsworth, and Thune says this mission will help promote the life of the base.
“What I've come to discover is how much in demand these particular air craft are from our combated commanders. They want to have more and more of these types of aircraft hovering over battle fields, are able to persist. They are also in demand in new places like Yemen where we are tracking Al Qaeda,” said Thune.
Representative Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin joined the senator to express how important this new mission is for South Dakota, Ellsworth, and the security of our country.
Herseth-Sandlin said, “These remotely piloted vehicles are going to remain a critical part of our national security for years. An important factor in this decision was being able to co-locate with another combat aircraft. We know that the B1 has been the workhorse in Iraq and Afghanistan.”
Senator Tim Johnson says the decision recognizes the strengths of Ellsworth Air Force Base. He says he's proud of his efforts and those of the entire delegation in bringing hundreds of new jobs to South Dakota.
Currently the base adds about $324 million to our local economy.