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Terceira: Portugal surprised by U.S. military downsizing at Lajes Air Field – Update

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The head of Portugal’s Air Force, General José Pinheiro, expressed “surprise” at the scale of the planned reduction by the U.S. of its military presence at Lajes Air Field, on Terceira island, in the Azores, but reserved judgment on the implications.

“It was a surprise when we received [news of] of the scale of the reduction,” General Pinheiro said Thursday.

He also dismissed the suggestion that the U.S. decision would imply scaling back the Portuguese contingents at other air bases in the country.

Pinheiro said it was necessary to find out exactly which U.S. forces are to pull out and when, and which will remain, so that the Portuguese air command can plan accordingly.

Regarding the Azores military facility, Pinheiro said: “The American authorities have communicated to Portugal that they have the intention of reducing the American military and civilian staff that work for the American armed forces in the Azores, but they haven’t yet given us details.”

According to several sources, the U.S. presence at Lajes Air Field will be downsized from about 800 personnel, plus 600 relatives, to some 160 military.

The deep cuts in the U.S. military presence at Lajes air force base in the Azores is the result of “difficult budget cuts” that are necessary but should protect “vital intestates” of a “key ally” like Portugal, Republican congressman Devin Nunes had told Lusa early in the week.

Nunes, who is of Portuguese descent, also said: “The US has to make these difficult budget cuts because of our national debt of §16 trillion”, he said.

Pentagon officials told Lusa that they had advised the Portuguese government that the cutbacks were “basically definitive,”  but that there were still “serious discussions on-going about the process.”

On Wednesday, the Portuguese  Parliament  Defense Committee unanimously approved a proposal to request a joint hearing with the ministers for Defense and Foreign Affairs to debate the issue.

Activated in 1943, the Lajes Air Field is located on the northeast tip of Terceira Island. It is home to the 65th Air Base Wing and U.S. Forces Azores providing logistics support for more than 3,000 aircraft, including fighters from the United States and 20 allied nations.

The Azores (population 250,000) became an Autonomous Region of Portugal in 1976. The government of the Autonomous Region of the Azores includes the Legislative Assembly, composed of 57 elected deputies, elected by universal suffrage for a four-year term; the Regional Government and Presidency, with parliamentary legitimacy, composed of a President, a Vice-President and seven Regional Secretaries responsible for the Regional Government executive operations. The Autonomous Region of the Azores is represented in the Council of Ministers of the Central Government by a representative appointed by the President of Portugal.

paj.lusa

updated 01/12/12

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Azores: US Senate votes in favor of reassessing Lajes Air Field – Washington,DC

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On a positive note, the United States Senate has voted Thursday a measure with a specific reference to the Lajes Air Field, on Terceira island Azores. President Barack Obama is expected to sign it.

The bi-partisan measure, which passed the Senate with 84 votes in favor and 15 votes in opposition, had passed Congress last week with 350 votes in favor and 69 votes in opposition.

Containing a provision to the Lajes Air Force Base in the Azores, the measure will keep the US military facility at full capacity until further notice, reflecting the intent of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), for the fiscal year of 2014,  to recognize the importance Lajes Air Field in the context of the reevaluation process toward the restructuring of the US military presence in Europe.

In 2012, citing budgetary constraints, the Pentagon had announced it was planning a major downsizing in U.S. military operations and personnel at Lajes Air Field. Plans were called for a cut in the current workforce of 1,100 U.S. and Portuguese personnel to about half. The reduction would have saved an estimated $35 million annually.

The Lajes Air Field, one of seven main operating bases under US Air Forces in Europe, would lose more than 400 military personnel and 500 family members.  The decision could significantly affect the local economy, since more than 700 Portuguese civil workers at the US air field would lose their jobs. The US base is the island’s second largest employer.

The downsizing would be the most significant reduction announced so far for the Air Force in Europe, where the Pentagon has announced it would also eliminate two Army infantry brigades in Germany and two Air Force squadrons in Europe, the 81st Fighter Squadron at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, and the 603rd Air Control Squadron at Aviano Air Base, Italy.

The Lajes Air Field provides refueling and other support to U.S. military and NATO aircraft and crewmembers transiting over the Atlantic Ocean.

Read more >> NOPA >>

paj.staff/updated 20/12/13

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Terceira: Pentagon confirms US resolve to downsize Lajes Field – Washington DC

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The United States Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel, has confirmed today the Pentagon’s decision to downsize the US presence in the Lajes Field on Terceira, Azores.

The news follow a statement by US Ambassador in Portugal, Robert Sherman, announcing yesterday the Pentagon’s plan for a gradual reduction, this year, on civil and military personnel at the Lajes military base. According to Sherman, the reduction will involve the downsizing of 900 to 400 Portuguese civil workers and of 650 to 165 US civil and military personnel.

Lajes Field is the island’s second largest employer. The decision, which will save the Pentagon an estimated $35 million annually, will significantly impact the local economy.

The announcement caught the Portuguese administration by surprise. Last month, the US House of Representatives had requested a “specific revaluation” on the strategic relevance for the United States of the of Lajes Field. According to the request, the US Administration was prevented from reducing military personnel at Lajes Field until the revaluation was completed.

Reacting to the news, the Portuguese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rui Machete, said in a statement, “The Portuguese Government expresses its strong disappointment for this decision, which didn’t take into consideration the concerns conveyed to the United States over the past two years, in conjunction with the Regional Government [of the Azores].”

The President of the Government of the Azores, Vasco Cordeiro, also expressed his frustration by denouncing the Pentagon’s decision as “a monumental slap in the face of the Portuguese Government.”

In 2012, citing budgetary constraints, the US administration had informed the Portuguese government that it would significantly reduce its military presence at Lajes Field. The budget cuts come from a law enacted two years ago that ordered the government to come up with $1.2tn in savings over a decade.

According to Pentagon informants, Derek Chollet and John Conger, operations at the UK’s Mildenhall, Alconbury, and Molesworth airbases will close. These actions were the result of the European Infrastructure Consolidation (EIC) process, and are expected to save the Defense Department $500 million a year.

For the past 70 years, Lajes Field on Terceira has been one of seven main operating military bases under US Air Forces in Europe providing refueling and other support to US military, NATO aircraft and crewmembers transiting over the Atlantic. The Lajes Field hosts a civilian airport which shares its runway with the Portuguese aviation.

paj.staff.updated.01/09/15

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The Azores  (population 250,000) is a region of Portugal composed of nine islands. The archipelago discovered by Portuguese explorers in the 15th century, became an Autonomous Region of Portugal in 1976. The government of the Autonomous Region of the Azores includes the Legislative Assembly, composed of 57 elected deputies, elected by universal suffrage for a four-year term; the Regional Government and Presidency, with parliamentary legitimacy, composed of a President, a Vice-President and seven Regional Secretaries responsible for the Regional Government executive operations. The Autonomous Region of the Azores is represented in the Council of Ministers of the Central Government by a representative appointed by the President of Portugal. Vasco Cordeiro, 41, the leader of the Socialist Party (PS) in the Azores, was sworn Regional President of the Government of the Azores on October 14, 2012.

Azores: US lawmakers set to oppose plan to downsize Lajes Field – Washington DC

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A bipartisan group of US lawmakers has expressed concern that “the Defense Department’s plan to downsize the Lajes Field in Terceira, Azores, will harm U.S. relations with Portugal,” the Air Force Times reported today.

According to Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA), a member of the Congressional Portuguese American Caucus, “We are nervous about how the Portuguese are going to react because this has become a political issue for them and – bottom line is – it harms them greatly,” he told the Air Force Times.

Nunes, who has roots in the Azores, “is worried that the Portuguese may limit U.S. access to Lajes Field or tell the U.S. to demolish inactive parts of the base rather than accept a nominal U.S. presence” said the Air Force Times.

Currently, there are three members of Portuguese descent in the US Congress, namely Devin Nunes, Jim Costa and David G. Valadao. Senator Patrick J. Toomey is also of Portuguese descent.

“They’ve been saying for three years now, since this first announced: ‘This doesn’t work for us; you can’t just leave us an empty base sitting there with fuel tanks and munitions stores and all this stuff,’” Nunes said in the interview. “I don’t know if you’ve seen the base; it’s huge. So they’ve said, ‘Look, if you’re going to do that, you’re going to have to come in and tear this out,” the Air Force Times reported.

Nunes also revealed that both US and Portuguese officials “are expected to meet in February to discuss the latest proposed personnel reductions at Lajes Field” and that “Lawmakers are waiting on the results of that meeting before deciding whether to take legislative action to resolve the issue.”

“We’re going to have decide as members of Congress: Do we need to step in and tell DOD, ‘Well, since you didn’t solve the problem, here’s what you’re going to do,’” he said. “We don’t want to do that, but we’re prepared to do it.”

The Air Force Times also reported that “In April, Nunes introduced a bill that would have moved the Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Crisis Response from Moron Air Base, Spain, to Lajes Field.” According to the report, the bill did not receive enough support for a vote in either chamber.

Early in January, the United States Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel, had confirmed the Pentagon’s decision to downsize the US presence in the Lajes Field. Reacting to Hagel’s pronouncement, the President of the Government of the Azores, Vasco Cordeiro, expressed his frustration by denouncing the Pentagon’s decision as “a monumental slap in the face of the Portuguese Government.”

The decision will save the Pentagon an estimated $35 million annually. Downsizing the Lajes Field, the island’s second largest employer, will significantly impact the local economy.

In 2012, citing budgetary constraints, the US administration had informed the Portuguese government that it would significantly reduce its military presence at Lajes Field. The budget cuts come from a law enacted two years ago that ordered the government to come up with $1.2tn in savings over a decade.

paj.carolina matos.editor

Read the full report here.

Related on the Web: Global Security.org

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The Azores  (population 250,000) is a region of Portugal composed of nine islands. The archipelago discovered by Portuguese explorers in the 15th century, became an Autonomous Region of Portugal in 1976. The government of the Autonomous Region of the Azores includes the Legislative Assembly, composed of 57 elected deputies, elected by universal suffrage for a four-year term; the Regional Government and Presidency, with parliamentary legitimacy, composed of a President, a Vice-President and seven Regional Secretaries responsible for the Regional Government executive operations. The Autonomous Region of the Azores is represented in the Council of Ministers of the Central Government by a representative appointed by the President of Portugal. Vasco Cordeiro, 41, the leader of the Socialist Party (PS) in the Azores, was sworn Regional President of the Government of the Azores on October 14, 2012.

Lisbon: Portuguese and US policy makers to debate bilateral relations – Portugal

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The Luso-American Development Foundation (FLAD) is hosting, this week in Lisbon, private talks between Portuguese political representatives and a delegation of US policy makers, of Portuguese descent, to address bilateral relations between Portugal and Washington.

The talks, intended to follow up on contacts already established in the past, are taking place at a time of tense bilateral relations, following the US Defense Department announcing its decision to downsize the Lajes Field in Terceira island, Azores.

Reacting to the announcement, a bipartisan group of US lawmakers, including members of the Congressional Portuguese American Caucus, have expressed concern that the Defense Department’s plan to downsize the Lajes Field  could harm US relations with Portugal.

“It is not contentious to say that bilateral relations between Portugal and the United States are going through a phase of deep change and that this is an attempt to help bring about both sides,” the president of FLAD, Vasco Rato, told the Lisbon press.

On Thursday and Friday, talks will be attended by the Portuguese Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho, Deputy Prime Minister Paulo Portas, the Finance Minister, Maria Luís Albuquerque, and the Mayor of Lisbon, António Costa, the socialist opposition leader.

Currently, there are three members of Portuguese descent in the US Congress, namely Devin Nunes, Jim Costa and David G. Valadao. Senator Patrick J. Toomey is also of Portuguese descent.

Lajes Field is the  second largest employer on Terceira island. The decision to downsize the US military base, which will save the Pentagon an estimated $35 million annually, will significantly impact the local economy. Early in January, the United States Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel, confirmed the Pentagon’s decision to downsize the US presence in the Lajes Field.

paj.staff

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The Azores (population 250,000) is a region of Portugal composed of nine islands. The archipelago discovered by Portuguese explorers in the 15th century, became an Autonomous Region of Portugal in 1976. The government of the Autonomous Region of the Azores includes the Legislative Assembly, composed of 57 elected deputies, elected by universal suffrage for a four-year term; the Regional Government and Presidency, with parliamentary legitimacy, composed of a President, a Vice-President and seven Regional Secretaries responsible for the Regional Government executive operations. The Autonomous Region of the Azores is represented in the Council of Ministers of the Central Government by a representative appointed by the President of Portugal. Vasco Cordeiro, 41, the leader of the Socialist Party (PS) in the Azores, was sworn Regional President of the Government of the Azores on October 14, 2012.

Community: Massachusetts legislators appeal to President Obama about Lajes Field – Boston, MA

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The Massachusetts Portuguese American Legislative Caucus, a group of  state legislators of Portuguese descent, have addressed an appeal letter to President Barack Obama petitioning for a review of the US policy regarding the downsizing of the Lajes Air Force Base, on Terceira, Azores.

Dated of March 10, 2015, the letter is undersigned by State Senator Marc R. Pacheco (D-Taunton/ Senate Chair), State Representative António Cabral (D-New Bedford /House Chair),State Senator Viriato M. DeMacedo (R-Plymouth), State Representative John V. Fernandes (D-Milford) State Representative Alan Silvia (D-Fall River), and State Representative David T. Vieira (D-East Falmouth).

The letter is also copied to US Secretary of Defense Ashton B. Carter, US Secretary of State John Kerry and members of the US House and Congress from Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, Maine, California, Ohio and Texas.

In the letter to President Obama, the Portuguese American Massachusetts legislators express their concerns over the Department of Defense plans to significantly scale back the Lajes Field on Terceira, Azores.

The letter follows a recent visit by the Massachusetts Portuguese American Legislative Caucus to Lisbon, Portugal, were a delegation of US policy makers and Portuguese government representatives met in February to debate in great detail the repercussions of such decision.

In their letter, the Massachusetts legislators inform President Obama of the remarks made in Lisbon by the President of the Government of the Azores, Vasco Cordeiro, voicing how he foretells “of the negative impacts the reduction will have on the island of Terceira, including financial problems for its people and the Azores as a whole.”

The Massachusetts legislators also inform President Obama that President Vasco Cordeiro warned the US “of the impact the reduction could have on the historic relations shared between Portugal and the United States, which is home to a significant number of Portuguese immigrants, and their descendants who live, work and vote in America.”

“If President Cordeiro is correct in saying the Department of Defense will phase out the base in three years, as compared to the five years typical of other jurisdictions, it seems as though Terceira will suffer more than any other jurisdiction in Europe, especially if unemployment increases do 55 percent, as the president projects,” the Massachusetts legislators warn President Obama.

What’s more, the letter adds, is that, “according to the Department of Defense, the move will cost the United States about $1.5 billion to eliminate an environmental footprint a major reduction could leave behind.”  For the Massachusetts legislators, “There must be a better way to deal with this issue,” as they remind President Obama  that given the Azores’s geographic location, “the United States ought to approach this issue in a more strategic way.”

The letter also reminds President Obama of such strategic relevance by affirming that “The Azorean islands are located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, putting them in an advantageous position to monitor what is in the Atlantic Ocean, and the increase trade through Panama Canal, the United States should capitalize on the opportunity to increase transatlantic trade through a maritime trade center in the Azores.”

Like others before  them, who have expressed concern that the Defense Department’s plan to downsize the Lajes Field could harm US relations with Portugal, the Massachusetts legislators stated in their letter to President Obama that “If we [the United States] do not achieve a better diplomatic position on this issue, we may jeopardize our longstanding relationship with Portugal, which will have consequences for our constituencies of Portuguese-Americans.”

The Massachusetts legislators close their letter by asking President Obama to take action and offer a better alternative plan for the Azores. In their plea, they conclude, “We hope you will take seriously our plea for a better alternative to this plan and that you would work with your cabinet to reach an arrangement that will better assist Portugal with the transition if resources are scaled back at Lajes.”

In 2012, citing budgetary constraints, the US administration had informed the Portuguese government that it would significantly reduce its military presence at Lajes Field. On December 2014, the House of Representatives had requested a “specific evaluation” preventing the US Administration from reducing military personnel at Lajes Field pending the evaluation. However, on January 2015, the former United States Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel, affirmed the US decision to downsize the US presence in the Lajes Field on Terceira, Azores.

Lajes Field is home to about 650 U.S. military personnel and Defense Department civilians and the largest employer of Portuguese civil works on the island. The plan will withdraw about 400 military personnel and 500 family members from the base while many thousands of local Portuguese civil works will lose their jobs, significantly impacting the local economy.

Established in 1942 as a US military outpost, Lajes Field provides support to civil and military aircraft, including fighters from the US and 20 other allied nations. Its geographic position has made the US base on Terceira island strategically important to both the United States and NATO.

The Portuguese-American Legislative Caucus is a bipartisan group of Massachusetts legislators of Portuguese descent dedicated to strengthening the long-standing bilateral ties between the United States and Portugal and by raising the level of awareness regarding the issues facing the Portuguese American community.

paj.carolina matos.editor

Read the full appeal letter here.

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The  Azores (population 250,000) is a region of Portugal composed of nine islands. The archipelago discovered by Portuguese explorers in the 15th century, became an Autonomous Region of Portugal in 1976. The government of the Autonomous Region of the Azores includes the Legislative Assembly, composed of 57 elected deputies, elected by universal suffrage for a four-year term; the Regional Government and Presidency, with parliamentary legitimacy, composed of a President, a Vice-President and seven Regional Secretaries responsible for the Regional Government executive operations. The Autonomous Region of the Azores is represented in the Council of Ministers of the Central Government by a representative appointed by the President of Portugal.Vasco Cordeiro, the leader of the Socialist Party (PS) in the Azores, was sworn Regional President of the Government of the Azores on October 14, 2012. According to the latest US census over 1.3 million individuals of Portuguese descent live in the United States, the majority with roots in the Azores. It is estimated that over 20,000 US citizens live in Portugal.

 

Terceira: US Congress delegation visiting Lajes Field – Azores

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A delegation of members of the United States Congress is visiting the Lajes Field, on Terceira island, Azores, on Saturday, May 9.

The visit is taking place at a time of tense bilateral relations between Portugal and the United States, following the US Defense Department announcing the downsizing of the Lajes Field on the island.

The plan includes the withdrawal of 500 US military personnel from US Lajes Field and the laying-off of an estimated 700 Portuguese civil workers. Lajes Field is the second largest employer on the island and downsizing the base will significantly impact the local economy.

The US delegation, led by US Ambassador in Lisbon, Robert Sherman, is meeting with the President of the Government of the Azores, Vasco Cordeiro, the Portuguese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rui Machete, and other Portuguese government officials.

President Cordeiro said Friday that the visit confirms the importance the US military base in Terceira represents to the United States.

In February a bipartisan group of  US lawmakers met in Lisbon to debate the Defense Department plan to downscaling its military outpost in the Azores and the implications for the bilateral relations with Portugal.

Last month, the President of the Government of the Azores, Vasco Cordeiro, accused the United States of being in “gross violation” of the spirit of the bilateral agreement held in Lisbon on February.

President Cordeiro was referring to lay-off notifications sent recently to Portuguese civil workers at the Lajes Field. The notifications were not expected to come so soon, while bilateral negations are still in progress.

A bilateral meeting, between Portugal’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rui Machete, and United States government representatives, is scheduled for early June in Washington.

Early in January, the United States Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel, had confirmed the Pentagon’s decision to downsize the US presence in the Lajes Field. The decision will save the Pentagon an estimated $35 million annually.

In 2012, citing budgetary constraints, the US administration had informed the Portuguese government that it would significantly reduce its military presence at Lajes Field.

The names of the visiting congressional delegation were not revealed to the press on Friday. Currently, there are three members of Portuguese descent in the US Congress, namely Devin Nunes, Jim Costa and David G. Valadao. Senator Patrick J. Toomey is also of Portuguese descent.

paj.carolina matos.editor

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The Azores (population 250,000) is a region of Portugal composed of nine islands. The archipelago discovered by Portuguese explorers in the 15th century, became an Autonomous Region of Portugal in 1976. The government of the Autonomous Region of the Azores includes the Legislative Assembly, composed of 57 elected deputies, elected by universal suffrage for a four-year term; the Regional Government and Presidency, with parliamentary legitimacy, composed of a President, a Vice-President and seven Regional Secretaries responsible for the Regional Government executive operations. The Autonomous Region of the Azores is represented in the Council of Ministers of the Central Government by a representative appointed by the President of Portugal. According to the latest US census over 1.3 million individuals of Portuguese descent live in the United States, the majority with roots in the Azores. It is estimated that over 20,000 US citizens live in Portugal.

 

 





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