The Concord Journal
December 13, 2001

Hanscom base, Natick Labs may join forces

By JOHN GREGG
CNC STAFF WRITER

State officials and U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy have launched a major campaign
to protect Hanscom Air Force Base from being closed in a pending Pentagon
reorganization, even creating the " Build Hanscom Alliance. "

Kennedy last month toured the 845-acre base — headquarters for the Air Force
’s Electronic Systems Center, which oversees the development of radar and
communications equipment — with Air Force Secretary James Roche.

And acting Gov. Jane Swift last week visited Hanscom and met with Gen.
Leslie Kenne, who commands the Electronic Systems Center at the base, which
borders Bedford, Lincoln, Concord and Lexington.

Swift said she is " continuing to build relationships and communications to
ensure that as the (Base Realignment and Closure) process moves forward in
Washington that Massachusetts is well-positioned to demonstrate the value of
the facility to the Air Force. "

The Build Hanscom Alliance is spearheaded by Michael Hogan, the head of the
Massachusetts Development Finance Agency and a former Marlborough mayor.

Karen Sawyer, the MassDevelopment senior vice president of community
development who is helping to lead the alliance, said Hanscom generates $4
billion in contracts, has a $570 million payroll, and is the ninth largest
employer in Massachusetts based on revenue.

About 1,400 military officers and 1,400 Air Force civilian employees work at
Hanscom, along with another 6,000 private-sector workers who do
military-related work on the base for contractors, including MIT’s Lincoln
Laboratories.

" What we’re trying to do is get people focused on what is there now and how
important it is to the economy, and, given the era we are in now, to the
military, " Sawyer said.

But the emphasis on Hanscom also raises the question: What about Natick
Labs?

The 78-acre Army base in Natick along Lake Cochituate has about 1,700
employees, most of them civilians or defense contractors, and generates $90
million in economic activity. Research at Natick Labs includes development
of food, clothing and shelter for soldiers in a variety of climates.

Both bases were eyed in the 1995 Base Realignment and Closure process. State
and local officials said Natick remains a priority, even though it has not
been the subject of the full-court press accorded Hanscom.

" I guess it’s safe to say we’re not ignoring Natick, but it’s clear the
Hanscom threat is more real and would have a significant negative impact on
the economy, " Sawyer said.

" It’s clear (Natick Labs has) a tremendous impact on the local economy, and
we want to make sure they stay here, " said Ted Welte, the president of the
MetroWest Chamber of Commerce.

Hanscom falls into three congressional districts, including that of U.S.
Rep. Ed Markey, D-7th, who also represents Natick and Framingham.

Markey spokesman Mark Gallagher said protecting Natick Labs remains a
priority, and Markey has discussed the base with Hogan and other state and
federal officials.

" We’re going to do everything we can, " Gallagher said. " We’re going to
take our cue from the organizations that we have worked with in the past, "
such as the MetroWest chamber.

Formally known as the U.S. Army Soldier Systems Center, Natick Labs is part
of the Army’s Soldier and Biological Chemical Command, garrisoned at
Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Aberdeen, Md.

Markey has been working to win more than $10 million in federal funding to
help create an Army Center of Excellence in Biotechnology that would be
located both at Natick Labs and at a Johns Hopkins University laboratory in
Maryland.

But a Senate panel last week voted to approve only $1 million for the
project. Some officials have suggested that some of the Natick Labs
operations might be " co-located " with functions at Hanscom, which would
require an unusual Air Force-Army alliance.

Swift, herself, hinted at such a possibility when she said protecting Natick
Labs and Hanscom is " all the same effort. Those are the two major
facilities, and we think we could find some cost-savings for their
operations if they worked better together between Hanscom and Natick Labs.
... We think we have a compelling reason to keep both. "

Natick Labs has a climatic chamber used to test protective gear for
soldiers, and Welte said the base itself is too valuable to move.

" The infrastructure there would cost hundreds of millions (of dollars) to
replicate. If you have infrastructure like that in place, there’s no reason
to mothball it, " Welte said.

Welte said the chamber has also planned a forum next month that will
highlight the technology being developed at Natick Labs.

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