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WEST JORDAN — The Utah National Guard's AH-64 Apache helicopters could be removed from the state, according to a plan proposed by the chief of staff of the active-duty U.S. Army. The plan would also mean a loss of hundreds of jobs in Utah.
The plan must get the approval of both U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and Congress. If that happens, it would affect the jobs of 212 people in Utah's 1-211th National Guard Unit.
The choppers are a basic and important tool for the Utah National Guard; and for Maj. Gen. Jefferson Burton, adjunct general of Utah's guard, there are multiple reasons to resist losing them.
"The overall idea of taking combat aviation completely out of the national guard is an idea I personally oppose," Burton said.
He said the Army is looking at making the Apaches an active-army platform only to increase efficiency in an age of budget cutting.
"They need some sort of platform to do reconnaissance, and their solution that they've come up with is to take the Apaches out of the National Guard to do the reconnaissance mission," Burton said.
The Apache was a key part of the mission that ended almost a year ago. About 300 soldiers from the Guards First Battalion, the 211th Aviation came home after being in Afghanistan for a year. Their mission included aerial reconnaissance and escorts for coalition aircraft.
Burton said the ongoing rivalry between branches of the military is an emotional component of this debate. The practical consideration, he said, is the guard can operate the helicopters at more than half the cost, with a better safety record: 10 active duty crashes in the last five years versus zero in the guard.
"We have to balance the costs versus the safety of our public," Burton said. "We believe the National Guard is a good value for the money, and that in spreading that force across the nation the public is better served and secured."
In addition, Col. Hank McIntire said every citizen in Utah would be affected because fewer choppers would affect the military's ability to protect the area with that particular piece of equipment.
About 300 soldiers in the Utah National Guard First Battalion completed a 12-month deployment to Afghanistan in phases about a year ago. Their mission was to "fly AH-64 Apache Longbow helicopters to conduct aerial route reconnaissance and provide armed escort for U.S. and coalition aircraft," according to a press release.
Word of the proposed cut has spread throughout the military community, and an online petition was created Monday to lobby against the proposal.
Gov. Gary Herbert and members of Utah's congressional delegation said Monday they didn't have any comment on the proposed Apache cut, which is still early in the process.
Representatives from the National Guard could be meeting with staff members for Utah's elected leaders by Friday, Burton said.
"We're doing what we can to let the delegation know this is an issue and a concern," he said. "We're moving as quickly as we can, citizen soldiers, to make sure the issue is known."
Contributing: McKenzie Romero
