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)
The Air Force overall reduced its size by 120 aircraft in fiscal year 2021, but kept about the same number of fighter, bomber and attack aircraft, according to data supplied by the service. The F-35 fleet saw the biggest increase while the B-1B bomber fleet saw the largest decline.