Corzine Wants Warren Grove Shut Down

Gov. Jon Corzine has announced that he'd like to see the Warren Point Firing Range shut down. An F-16 flying a training mission at the range dropped a flare that started a massive wildfire that blackened over 15,000 acres and damaged or destroyed more than 50 homes.

Gov. Jon S. Corzine on Tuesday called for closing the National Guard bombing range where a massive Pinelands wildfire is believed to have started last week.

"I will be strongly in favor of its closing," Corzine said.

The fire charred more than 17,000 acres of Pinelands over six days before being declared fully contained Monday. It is believed to have started when a National Guard F-16 fighter on a training run over the Warren Grove Gunnery Range along the Burlington-Ocean county border dropped a flare into dry brush.

"I would like to hear the pros and cons in a rational presentation of the facts, but it's going to be a hard sell to convince me Warren Grove ought to remain open," Corzine said at a news conference at the governor's mansion.

The Air Force has convened an accident investigation board to review the incident. New Jersey's two U.S. senators met Monday in Washington with officials from the National Guard and Air Force, but neither called for closing the range. U.S. Sens. Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez said they would wait for the investigation to be completed and review any recommendations to make the range safer.

Air Force Lt. Col. Ellen Krenke, a Defense Department spokeswoman, declined to comment on Corzine's stance.

It would appear that his mind is really made up. He'd like to see it closed. If Warren Grove is closed, where will the Air National Guard conduct its training missions? How would this affect Air National Guard training and readiness? Does that even enter into his political calculations or is he more concerned with the appearance of doing something?

Unlike Menendez and Lautenberg who have said they'd wait until the investigation is complete and recommendations made, Corzine is already on the next step.

UPDATE:
Former Spook is on the same page as I am when it comes to the readiness, and he's got some interesting information too. If Warren Grove is shuttered as Corzine wants, that means that NJ and PA ANG units would have to fly down to North Carolina to do their training. That's time and money that could be better served by keeping Warren Grove open.

Of course, Corzine doesn't seem to understand that his own troops--the New Jersey Air National Guard--will be among those most affected by the range closure. The beauty of having a training range close-by is just that: it maximizes the time pilots can spend honing combat skills, while minimizing transit time (and the fuel required to get there). New Jersey pilots can probably get required training at other ranges, but it won't be as convenient--or cheaper--than using Warren Grove. We're also wondering if Governor Corzine is prepared to compensate other states in the event that one of his jets crashes--or starts a fire--while using a range in another state. Why should DoD pay for future mishaps, put in motion by Jon Corzine's latest example of political petulance?

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