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Internet rumors hint Shaw could be closed

November 16, 2003 (by Lieven Dewitte) - Like bettors handicapping a horse race, the military 'experts' of the Internet are predicting the U.S. military bases that will be closed after the next round of base closings.
If their predictions are true, Shaw Air Force Base will be fighting for its life during the next round of base closings - known as BRAC - in 2005.

State and local leaders say those predictions, widely circulated via e-mail and available on a number of military-related Web sites, are at best rumors even if the authors claim their information comes from a 'bud in the Pentagon'.

"They don't mean anything," said U.S. Rep. John Spratt, D-S.C., whose congressional district includes the Air Force fighter base. "Frankly, I don't think they even rise to the level of a rumor."

Retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Tom Olsen, who's leading the Sumter community's effort to save Shaw, said any list of base closings now in the media or on the Internet is bogus.

"The lists are not based on facts. They're just somebody speculating", Olsen said. "There is no base closing list. There isn't even a draft of a draft."

In 1995, Shaw was ranked in the yellow zone by the base-closing commission, meaning it was a potential candidate for closing.

Shaw, home to the 20th Fighter Wing, has three 24-jet F-16 fighter squadrons. The 9th Air Force Headquarters, which commands all air forces under the U.S. Central Command that oversees Iraq and Southwest Asia, also is a major tenant at Shaw.

Shaw's jets and personnel played key roles during the opening weeks of the Iraq war. And its chances of surviving the next round of base closings would improve if the Air Force assigned it another squadron, which it's could easily accommodate.