00                      SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 3                                                                     
01 Relating to the deployment of F-22 Raptor aircraft at Elmendorf Air Force Base.                                         
02 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
03       WHEREAS the United States Air Force is developing the F-22 Raptor to replace                                    
04 many of the United States Air Force's aging F-15 aircraft as the United States' front-line air                          
05 superiority fighter; and                                                                                                
06       WHEREAS the F-22 Raptor combines the capability for low-range observation,                                      
07 supercruise capability, increased range, and enhanced offensive and defensive avionics to give                          
08 its pilots first-look, first-shot, and first-kill capability against the aircraft of a potential enemy;                 
09 and                                                                                                                     
10       WHEREAS the F-22 Raptor is being developed to counter lethal threats posed by                                   
11 advanced surface-to-air missile systems and next-generation fighters equipped with launch-                              
12 and-leave missiles; and                                                                                                 
13       WHEREAS the F-22 Raptor is widely regarded as the most advanced fighter in the                                  
14 world, and has reduced support requirements and maintenance costs; and                                                  
15       WHEREAS the United States Air Force plans to begin deploying the F-22 Raptor in                                 
16 2005 and to procure 339 F-22 Raptor aircraft by the end of 2013; and                                                    

01       WHEREAS military aircraft in Alaska deploy anywhere on the globe on short notice                                
02 to deliver whatever ordnance or capability is required; and                                                             
03       WHEREAS the United States Air Force is in the process of completing the                                         
04 environmental analysis necessary to deploy the F-22 Raptor in an area, and this analysis will                           
05 cover the use of land in the area, the air space available above the area, the ability to train in                      
06 the area, the safety of deploying in the area, the socioeconomic effects of deployment on the                           
07 area, the biological and cultural resources of the area, the effects of noise on the area, the                          
08 effects of deployment on the quality of air and water in the area, and the cumulative effects of                        
09 deployment on the area; and                                                                                             
10       WHEREAS impact ranges and areas for military land training maneuvers are located,                               
11 for the most part, directly underneath Alaska air space and provide excellent opportunities for                         
12 joint military training; and                                                                                            
13       WHEREAS Elmendorf Air Force Base has an excellent record of environmental                                       
14 compliance and cooperation with its surrounding communities; and                                                        
15       WHEREAS the strategic location, joint training opportunities, and experimentation                               
16 opportunities, together with unmatched community support, in Alaska have been noted by                                  
17 senior military leaders in Alaska;                                                                                      
18       BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature encourages the United States                                   
19 Air Force to select Elmendorf Air Force Base for deployment of the F-22 Raptor to                                       
20 complement existing defense capabilities.                                                                               
21       COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable F.  Whitten Peters, Secretary                          
22 of the Air Force; and to the Honorable Ted Stevens and the Honorable Frank Murkowski,                                   
23 U.S.  Senators, and the Honorable Don Young, U.S.  Representative, members of the Alaska                                
24 delegation in Congress.