Colorado Springs – Rep. Joel Hefley and other Coloradans in Congress want to know more about the rationale behind the U.S. military’s plans to scale back operations at Cheyenne Mountain, the nation’s watchpost for enemy attacks for 40 years.
Hefley, R-Colorado Springs, a longtime advocate for Colorado’s military establishment, expressed “grave concerns” about the plan to move hundreds of surveillance and support personnel from Cheyenne Mountain’s underground complex to nearby Peterson Air Force Base over the next two years and to place the mountain base on standby status.
The Denver Post first reported the plan Thursday on its website.
Hefley and Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., said they would ask to see the military’s “decisional report” used to justify the changes at Cheyenne Mountain.
“This unlikely move … disappoints a great many of us who agreed to renovations (at Cheyenne Mountain) in order to counteract worldwide terrorism,” Hefley said in a statement.
Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., insisted that the changes should not compromise security. “It is imperative that we maintain the vigilance and strength needed to protect our nation in these very dangerous times,” he said.
