U.S. senator, representative speak out against proposal to cut Savannah’s Combat Readiness Training Center

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - There’s bipartisan backlash to a portion of President Joe Biden’s 2023 budget request, that includes the elimination of the Georgia Air National Guard Combat Readiness Training Center in Savannah.

One Georgia U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator are sharing their disappointment with WTOC, saying the cut would result in the loss or more than 100 jobs and a vital national security asset.

The Savannah Combat Readiness Training Center sits adjacent to the Georgia Air National Guard’s 165th Airlift Wing. The CRTC not only hosts and prepares Georgia airmen for combat, it also hosts Sentry Savannah, which is the Air National Guard’s largest air-to-air fighter exercise that brings in fighter pilots from all over the country to train once a year off Georgia’s coast.

It’s a military asset Congressman Buddy Carter believes is too valuable to consider cutting, especially now.

“Here we are, potentially on the brink of World War 3, and this administration is proposing closing a combat readiness training center?” said Congressman Carter.

Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock echoed that sentiment, releasing a statement today that said in part, “Russia is aggressively threatening the world order, and the United States must be as strong as possible. This is not the time to cut our military’s operational capacity, scale back crucial manufacturing, and downsize jobs – particularly those dedicated to combat readiness.”

Both Congressman Carter and Senator Warnock highlighted the fact that millions of dollars have recently been invested in the training center, arguing that’s further reason not to shutter the asset.

Rep. Carter said, “They approved just a few years ago a 24-million dollar hanger that is just about to be completed. In fact the crane is still on it.”

The Congressman also bucked the argument that the center is underutilized, saying he believes it’s perhaps one of the busiest of the four that are around the country.

President Biden’s budget request funding for the Defense Department is about ten-percent higher than last year’s total, sitting at $773-billion.

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