The Air Force recently selected Balfour Beatty Communities of Newtown Square, Pa., to privatize housing at six of its installations. They are: Cannon AFB, N.M.; Cavalier AFS, N.D.; Ellsworth AFB, S.D.; Grand Forks AFB, N.D.; Minot AFB, N.D.; and Mountain Home AFB, Idaho. “We are thrilled to expand our relationship with the Air Force and bring quality housing and world-class customer service to the military members and their families residing at these bases,” said Chris Williams, BBC president, in the company’s Aug. 1 release. The six-year initial development period is valued at approximately $442 million, states the release. It covers the design, construction, and/or renovation of 4,546 housing units with various amenities. “Privatization saves taxpayer money, and living in a privatized community offers the benefits of a military community while, at the same time, providing better quality, well-maintained, and professionally managed homes,” said Jeffery Murray, Air Force Space Command’s housing privatization acquisition program manager, in the command’s Aug. 6 release discussing the privatization at Cavalier. This is BBC’s sixth Air Force housing privatization project, according to the company. (Peterson report by Michael Golembesky)
U.S. Air Force F-35s and F-22s regularly deploy deep into the Pacific region from Alaska, Utah, and Hawaii. In the future, though, the head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command would like to see the Air Force permanently station fifth-generation aircraft west of the international date line—closer to China.