European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 29, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse Saturday june 29, 1991 the stars and stripes a Page 3silk purse Mission to shut Down by Amy Geiszler Jones and my rid itt i Winder. Us Bureau the cold War faded further into the history books thursday As the United states announced it will deactivate the airborne command unit that senior military officials in Europe could have used to direct a conflict on the continent. ,. The airborne command Post for the . European come which is headquartered at Raf Mildenhall England is to deactivate no later than december said Pentagon and command officials. A. A Pentagon official said the supreme Allied command or Europe who is also the Neucom commander and his staff would have used the planes to direct combat operations in Europe if ground based Headquarters a Stuttgart Germany for Neucom and Mons Belgium for shape a were threatened or knocked out in a War. Known As the silk purse control group the command Post has been based at Mildenhall since 1965. The ec-135h aircraft were kept at Mildenhall and their Crews arc assigned to the base and live in the local area. For operational missions they pull temporary duty in the azores officials said. Officials could not comment on How often they Fly these missions. ,. flights a few proficiency and rest and maintenance Are handled at Mildenhall officials added. When required a plane and its Crew would deploy to the azores and perform their missions the plan would carry four flight Crew members six radio operators two radio maintenance people one maintenance Crew chief and nine or 10 Battle staff members said Mildenhall spokesman. Frank Randall. If required the Battle staff could have been augmented by a nato Battle staff of about five. A a support units based at Mildenhall have provided flight and communications personnel for the silk purse planes. A a a. A a a a i Here Are other ways to get that asset if . Col Jerral guess Neucom spokesman Between 1961 and 1905, silk purse operated from Cha. Tau Rouxa France using c-t1s aircraft he said. The silk purse ec-135h aircraft have never flown Quot around the clock. Missions but have stayed on ground Alert. ,. V a a. A. A. A a a. The deactivation will cause a manpower Cut of More than 500 people assigned to silk purse and its supporting units a a a a Quot the decision to shut Down the Mission is attributed to a a change in operation requirements current reductions in manpower and budget throughout the department of. Defense coupled with the . Air Force initiative to reduce Cost and the current state of world relations a according to Neucom. The command is still reviewing whether or not to replace the silk purse Mission. -4 a we Are exploring future Quot options a said maj. Freda Brame a Neucom spokeswoman. A nothing has been planned at the time but we Are looking at what we can do to fill the Gap once the unit is Quot there Are other ways to get that asset if required a such As from another major command said it. Col. Jerral guess a Neucom spokesman. Two of the four ec-135h aircraft that Fly the silk purse missions have already left for the United states said Mildenhall base spokesman Frank Randall. One of the aircraft went to Langley fab va., following a communications upgrade at a stateside base in november while the other went to Davis Monthan fab ariz., on May 28. According to Brame the remaining two aircraft arc to leave by Early 1992. The ultimate Fate of the four aircraft has not been determined yet although it is expected that they will remain in the air Force inventor the Pentagon official said. The 58 military personnel from the four military services and one civilian employee assigned to silk purse Are to leave by september said Brame. They will be reassigned within Neucom receive orders to other com mands or return to stateside units. In a related action the ,10th airborne come and control so at Mildenhall the unit that provided silk purse with flight and communication Crews will also deactivate by december Milden Hall a ,513th aircraft come and control Wing which also supported the silk purse Mission will also lose personnel. \ a a total of 489 military personnel assigned to these support units will be Cut a through attrition Quot said Randall. The air Force military personnel Center is currently working the assignments at Randolph fab Texas hut no visit by an pc assignment team is scheduled he said. Almost a year ago the air forces strategic air come ceased its longstanding continuous airborne Alert Mission code named a looking Glass a which used modified Boeing 747s known As e4bs., at least one plane was kept in the air at All times to act As an airborne command Post for possible use by the Sac Battle staff in the event of conflict with the soviet Union. The looking Glass Mission now flies a classified turn her of random sorties each week. A contributing to this report Vinch in . Flag comes Down at hell Nikon a by j. King Cruger Mediterranean Bureau the american Flag flew for the last time a Friday at hell Nikon a once the largest . Military installation in Greece. Seven Miles South of Athens and Home to tens of thousands of americans during its 44-year history fell Nikon was turned Over to the greek air Force during formal ceremonies Friday afternoon. The ceremonies were attended by about 1,000 people and also marked the deactivation of the air forces 7206th air base group. \. A Onato has experienced Many successes in recent years and closing Halle Nikon and other bases in Europe is Quot one of the first responses to that Success a maj. Gem Gerald a. Daniel 16th air Force commander told the crowd. Hell Nikon was a key air support and communications base supporting More than 30 units stretching from saudi Arabia to Rota draw Down of hellenic Kong a personnel began More than year ago after Secretary of defense Dick Cheney announced in january 1990 that the base would be closed because of . Budget reductions and changes in Eastern Europe. Before the draw Down began hellenic Kon was a thriving Community of 4,800 americans including nearly 1,500 serv ice members and their families. By Friday Only 40 air Force men and women remained at hell Nikon. Quot a everything is gone. We had to borrow 300 chairs from a Quot local school to use during the closure a ceremony a said air . Col. Randall w. Morgan who is directing the base closure. A there Quot is nothing to turn Over but empty buildings. But we Are turning it Over in great shape a Morgan added. The base was founded in 1947 at adjacent Athens International Airport. By the end of 1958, the air Force had outgrown the facilities and began moving to its present site on the other Side of the runway. The base supported the evacuation of . Citizens from the Middle East during the six Day War in 1967 and again during the Middle East crisis of 1969. Hell Nikon also provided Safe Haven for americans fleeing Iran in 1978. Three years late the base population turned out to Greet the air plane carrying the 52 american hostages released from Captivity in Iran. Recently hell Nikon assisted operations desert shield and storm by supporting a 70q percent increase in assigned aircraft mainly transport planes and by shipping More than 1 million pounds of supplies to the War Effort. The base had originally been scheduled to close april 30, but that was put off until Friday because of delays that a base official said were caused primarily by the conflict with Iraq. The greek government has not made a decision on what to do in the Lone run with hell Nikon. While the base has been officially turned Over to the greek air Force local governments and the Athens Airport against the air Force for permanent use of . Jeff Taylor 26, has shifted mountains of outbound . Equipment during the past 10, months. The defense re utilize Tion and marketing office Fork lift operator has helped. Close three . Military facilities in the Athens area in that time. Taylor an air Force family member closed the Navy communication station at Nea Makri last August followed that with the closure of the . Army facility at ele Sis and then spent months helping move gear out of hell Nikon. A i done to Ever want to move another desk chair locker or filing Cabinet in my life a said Taylor. A George Kern a retired american Serviceman who came to the reception following the closure first came to the base when it housed Only a Squadron in 1948. A i was almost Here when old glory first went up Here and now it s coming Down a said the 68-year-old Kern. A a it a a sad . Bry an Wisherd left and sgt. George mow of the 7061st m Arazos Greece lower the . Flag for the last time at hell Nikon a amps Gar Miller munitions Maint so at a
