NO PREDICTIONS GENERAL MUM ON FUTURE BASE CUTBACKS.

Byline: Charles F. Bostwick Staff Writer

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE - The Air Force's top general said he expects closures of Air Force bases in the round of base cutbacks, but he would make no predictions about Edwards Air Force Base or any other individual base.

``There's no doubt there will be some reductions. We need to make reductions. We've got a lot of people guarding air bases that are in excess of our needs,'' Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper said Saturday during a visit to Edwards.

Jumper said he could not speak about the prospects for any particular base to survive the cutbacks, but of Edwards he said: ``What's going on here is extremely important.''

Jumper was visiting Edwards with a gathering of famous pilots including Chuck Yeager, the first pilot to break the sound barrier, and Medal of Honor recipient Bernie Fisher, who during the Vietnam War landed his Skyraider under enemy fire to pick up another pilot.

A new round of military base closures is scheduled for 2005. The previous four rounds have saved $16.7 billion, according to Department of Defense estimates. Savings are eventually expected to reach $6.6 billion annually.

It's estimated that another round of base closures could save as much as an additional $3.5 billion annually - and close perhaps a quarter of America's military bases.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has told military leaders he wants this round of base closures to do more than shutter unnecessary bases. He wants it to be part of a greater effort to evolve the military to meet the threats of a changing world.

In the past, Pentagon officials have said that Edwards was safe from closure and that it had irreplaceable assets - such as the dry lake beds used as landing strips in emergencies and for experimental aircraft.

An outright closure of Edwards is highly unlikely, Antelope Valley officials say. But they are preparing to lobby for the base out of fear that missions could be pulled away from it, costing the region jobs and leaving Edwards open for future cuts.

Charles Bostwick, [phone]

chuck.bostwick(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color in AV edition only) The pilot of a C-17 out of Edwards Air Force Base banks over the mountains leading to the Antelope Valley on Friday.

(2 -- ran in AV edition only) Air Force security stands guard over the famous stealth fighter Night Hawk F-117 at Edwards Air Force Base.

John McCoy/Staff Photographer