ALLIANCE AIMS TO KEEP DEFENSE DOLLARS IN REGION; STATES JOIN TO DEFEND BASES.

Byline: Jim Skeen Daily News Staff Writer

Amid congressional rumblings about closing more military bases, representatives from five states will gather this week in Utah to organize an alliance aimed at protecting and attracting defense jobs to the Southwest.

Political and civic leaders from California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah and New Mexico will gather Thursday in Salt Lake City to work out organizational details for the Southwest Defense Alliance. The coalition is aimed at drawing military testing, evaluation and training work to their sphere.

``We need to develop regional spirit and make sure every state is an equal player,'' said Jason Oliver, an aide to Ventura County Supervisor Judy Mikels, an alliance supporter. ``If there is a BRAC (base realignment and closure) in a year or two years, this is a way to protect the region.''

Alliance organizers held a similar meeting in Phoenix in July. Organizers called the meeting a success, but Utah and Nevada failed to send representatives. All five states are expected to send representatives this time.

Adding motivation to get the alliance going is the fact that after resisting earlier calls by the Pentagon for more base closures, Congress is now indicating a willingness to take up the issue after the November elections.

Concerns about defense readiness has congressional leaders talking about closing bases starting in 2000 as a way to direct more defense dollars to training and equipment purchases.

``People were getting complacent because they thought they weren't going to be any more BRAC rounds,'' said Bob Johnstone, an aerospace consultant for the city of Lancaster and an alliance organizer. ``Whether you call it BRAC, downsizing or whatever, something is going to happen.''

The Southwest Defense Alliance is aimed at supporting the Southwest Defense Complex, 12 bases that are a mix of research, testing and training facilities with laboratories and land, sea and air ranges.

As the U.S. military establishment shrinks, officials in California and elsewhere are worried about losing bases, defense projects and personnel bit by bit to other regions with more political clout. So they are doing some political organizing of their own to promote what they say are the real advantages the Southwest has over East Coast bases: better weather, uncrowded airways and open space.

The California bases in the proposed complex are Edwards Air Force Base, China Lake Naval Air Warfare Center, Point Mugu Naval Air Warfare Center, Vandenberg Air Force Base, the Air to Ground Combat Center at Twentynine Palms and the Fort Irwin National Training Center.

Other bases included in the complex are the Yuma Proving Grounds and Marine Corps Air Station in Arizona, Naval Air Station in Fallon and the Weapons Tactical Center and Electronic Warfare Ranges at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, the Utah Test and Training Range, and the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.

The Southwest Defense Complex concept was first proposed in 1993 by then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell.