Colorado’s U.S. senators and the veteran congressman representing Colorado Springs expressed concern today about the military’s plans to scale back operations at the underground Cheyenne Mountain post near Colorado Springs, saying they would like to know more about the plan.
Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., said he was “anxious and interested to learn more about the military’s plans for Cheyenne Mountain.
“This is a decision that should be made in coordination with the Colorado congressional delegation,” said Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo.
And a statement from Rep. Joel Hefley, R-Colorado Springs, said he had “grave concerns” about the plan to place Cheyenne Mountain on standby status.
Cheyenne Mountain was built in the 1960s as a bomb-proof watchpost for incoming missiles and warplanes. The North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, and other agencies watch for threats from a vast complex deep inside the mountain.
As first reported by DenverPost.com Thursday, the military plans to move hundreds of personnel and key elements of NORAD out of the mountain to nearby Peterson Air Force Base, which already is headquarters of both NORAD and the U.S. Northern Command.
“We don’t need to maintain Cheyenne Mountain in a 24/7 status,” Adm. Tim Keating, commander of NORAD and Northern Command, told The Post. He said Cheyenne Mountain would be maintained on a “warm standby” status, ready to be re-activated on an hour’s notice.
In his statement, Hefley said that “this unlikely move by NORAD and (Northern Command) disappoints a great many of us who agreed to renovations in order to counteract worldwide terrorism. We have dedicated enormous sums of money to the facility itself as well as to the advanced technologies needed for quick responses in the event of a national crisis.”
Hefley added that “placing Cheyenne Mountain on ‘warm standby’ gives us approximately one hour to get up and running. It would be nice to know we have an hour to prepare but as terrorism is quick to strike, I have come to believe a whole lot of evil can take flight in one hour.”
In his statement today, which was labeled “Cheyenne Mountain Move Must Not Compromise Security,” Salazar said that Colorado and Colorado Springs “remain the crown jewels of our national defense and homeland security system. Northcom and NORAD are keystones for this national effort.
“As operations are moved or consolidated, including placing Cheyenne Mountain on standby, it is imperative that we maintain the vigilance and strength needed to protect our nation in these very dangerous times,” Salazar added.
Allard said that he and other members of the Colorado congressional delegation were briefed by Keating June 20 on plans to move NORAD functions from Cheyenne Mountain “for long-term cost savings” and that “no jobs would be transferred out of the Colorado Springs area.”
Allard said Keating “assured us that the Cheyenne Mountain facility will be available in case of a national emergency.”
He added: “This is a decision that should be made in coordination with the Colorado congressional delegation. We want to review the decisional report that was used to change the location of NORAD to make sure that our concerns are addressed. I plan on working with the entire delegation to get this documentation before the plan moves forward.”
Colorado members of Congress planned to send a letter asking to see the “decisional report” used to justify the plan for changing Cheyenne Mountain operations.
