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F-15 fighter jets arrive to protect MacDill; more to come?
By CURTIS KRUEGER, Times Staff Writer TAMPA -- Two F-15 fighter jets landed Monday morning at MacDill Air Force Base, underscoring U.S. Rep. C.W. Bill Young's message that fighter airplanes are likely to become a more common sight over the sensitive military compound. Young, a Largo Republican and head of the House Appropriations Committee, stopped short of saying fighter jets would be stationed permanently at the base in Tampa. But speaking nine days after a teenager violated the airspace over MacDill, and later flew into a Tampa high-rise, Young stressed that fighter jets likely will fly increased "combat air patrols" over MacDill and other American military bases. In combat air patrols, called CAPs, fighter pilots circle over sensitive areas to protect them. Asked if MacDill should be protected with regular airborne fighter patrols, Young said: "That is definitely a consideration. Whether or not we would have a 24/7 air CAP is to be decided. Random air CAPs? Very definitely." The F-15s that flew into MacDill on Monday morning came from the Air National Guard's 125th Fighter Wing in Jacksonville. The apparent message: Fighter planes will protect the base, regardless of whether they are permanently located there. "MacDill is an important resource and we are committed to protecting it along with the rest of central Florida," Maj. Don Arias, of the First Air Force at Tyndall Air Force Base in the Florida Panhandle, said by telephone. Young said it was possible that jets now stationed at Air National Guard bases in Jacksonville or Homestead could be relocated to MacDill, but he refused to characterize that as likely or unlikely. "That's a decision that will be made by a very high military authority," Young said. A MacDill spokesman declined to comment. MacDill is home to Central Command, the nerve center for U.S. military operations in the Middle East, including the war in Afghanistan, and the Special Operations Command. Young planned Monday to meet with the generals who direct both. Young explained Monday that the military is continuing to evaluate security at some 500 U.S. installations, as well as seaports and other sensitive American assets such as the spaceport at Cape Canaveral. The review was prompted by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. But Young said military officials also are rethinking security in the wake of the flight of Charles Bishop, who commandeered a Cessna airplane on Jan. 5, flew over MacDill and smashed into the Bank of America building in Tampa. Young said his office has received hundreds of calls about the incident and "I think very definitely that has emphasized the fact that America has been always such an open nation, we didn't worry about anything. Now all of a sudden we realize that there are people who are able to touch us in a very, very bad way and we don't want that to happen." As chairman of House Appropriations, Young pledged to help make sure antiterrorism efforts were adequately financed. -- Times staff writer Curtis Krueger can be reached at krueger@sptimes.com or by calling (727) 893-8232.
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