The Great Falls (Montana) Tribune is doing a series of stories about federal funding possibly being slashed.  They devoted Monday to defense cuts, specifically how the cuts might affect Malmstrom AFB and the Montana Air National Guard.

The Guard piece is on-line for a limited time HERE; the Malmstrom piece is only partially on-line, HERE.

The Tribune reporter interviewed several people for his articles, some with actual military experience and some who have supported Malmstrom and the Air Guard over the years, so it was a pretty well-rounded article from a pro-military view.

Since I am pro-military (a veteran) and the articles were interesting – I need to offer a brief commentary.

Just about everyone can see the writing on the wall – our country is in very sad shape in regards to the debt we are in and the inability of those elected to work with each other to come up with solutions to get the $15 trillion in debt under control.

In regards to Malmstrom AFB, I’ve written here before that I believe one, or possibly two, intercontinental ballistic missile bases (ICBM) will be closed to save money – it will be survival of the fittest – although supporters of all three bases say they “are working together to keep the ICBM mission strong.”  You can bet they are, but if push comes to shove you’ll see the supporters of each base (Malmstrom, Minot, and F.E. Warren) start acting like members of the show “Survivor” to save their missile base.

As for the Air National Guard, it’s anyone’s guess what the future will be, but it’s looking more like the history of the Montana Air National Guard (MANG) having jets is about to end.  The jets are scheduled to leave and be replaced with just four C-27J transport planes.  The Guard may also get a non-flying mission.  Nobody I’ve spoken with is too excited about the future of MANG.

The most telling part of the whole Tribune report was the last paragraph in which they interviewed retired two-star General Tom Deppe, who was a Missile Wing Commander at Malmstrom, and served as Vice Commander at Air Force Space Command before his retirement in 2009.

The Tribune reported:

Deppe said each of the three bases has military strengths and weaknesses. He added that he believes a state’s political clout plays a significant role when deciding which bases to keep.

A two-star General would know about political clout playing a significant role…

My faithful readers may remember that I’ve mentioned Montana’s lack of political clout (in defense/military issues) here several times – and I believe the supporters of Malmstrom and MANG should push for at least one member of the Montana delegation to obtain a seat on a defense or military committee.

For those running for Montana’s open U.S House seat, that should also be a goal.  For the rough and tumble Senate race that is shaping up between Congressman Denny Rehberg and U.S. Senator Jon Tester, that could be a factor in who wins the race – especially in the battleground area of Great Falls, Montana.  It’s not like the promise of getting a key committee assignment has not been done before.  We saw this in the U.S. Senate race of 2006.

It is time for the current (and future) congressional delegation to do more than send a letter, issue a press release, or hold a meeting.  They need to obtain some defense and military clout so the decision makers on the other end will actually listen.

Follow Jack on Twitter @TheWesternWord.