For any Houstonians who might be confused as to whether F-16s are useful aircraft for the civil defense of Houston’s infrastructure from terrorist attack, the Chronicle editorial board weighs in today with a resounding no:
A so-called dirty bomb, using a conventional explosion to scatter radioactive plutonium, could render the channel industries indefinitely off-limits. Under this scenario, an F-16 would be less valuable than a Coast Guard or customs official….
We’re certainly glad that the folks who sometimes confuse treaties shared that bit of military knowledge with us.
Most Houstonians understand what’s going on when Mayor White and House Majority Leader DeLay (R) speak of Ellington Field and the war on terror. They aren’t suggesting that F-16s are going to protect the ship channel from a dirty bomb. They’re trying to protect from closure what they feel is an asset to the community.
Might Ellington Field play a role in the war on terror, to the extent that war is taken to the enemy and not simply a matter of passive civil defense? Perhaps. So might other bases that could possibly be closed, and one imagines local pols are coming to their defense. That’s why base closings are typically so difficult — most pols and defense experts agree on the need to shut down some bases, but rare is the pol who concedes that the base in his district is the one.
That surely can’t be shocking news to our editorial idealists.
