SOUTHWEST TEST BASES SUPPORTED; OFFICIAL CALLS REGION BEST FOR AIRCRAFT EVALUATION.

Byline: Jim Skeen Daily News Staff Writer

A senior Pentagon official voiced support Tuesday for consolidating military test and evaluation programs in the Southwest United States and said the nation needs to be investing in, not cutting, test and evaluation bases.

Philip Coyle III, the Defense Department's director of operational test and evaluation, said he strongly supports the Southwest Defense Complex concept, saying it would save money and maximize the use of test ranges.

``It already has wide political support, we know it provides job stability, and, while nothing is BRAC (base closure and realignment) proof, it helps when you bond together,'' Coyle said.

Coyle made his remarks before a conference of the International Test and Evaluation Association being held Tuesday at the Essex House Convention Center.

Antelope Valley officials support the Southwest Defense Complex because they believe it would bring jobs and programs to Edwards Air Force Base, the region's largest center of employment, and the China Lake Naval Weapons Center, about 30 miles north of Edwards.

How, or even whether, test and evaluation bases should be consolidated is an extremely controversial topic in the Pentagon. The issue has triggered a series of studies, but thus, far little action.

In an April 13 meeting at the Pentagon with a delegation from the Antelope Valley Board of Trade, Jack Manclarke, the Air Force's director of testing and evaluation, said the military was completing yet another study which showed the services were down to their core capabilities for testing.

Manclarke also downplayed the idea of a Southwest Defense Complex.

``Proposals for a western test range have come up a number of times, as have proposals for an eastern test range. I don't think as we look to the future that we will look geographically,'' Manclarke said. ``I think we're going to look at where the capabilities are and try best to maintain that capability. I don't think we are seriously looking at forming a test range at one area of the country and deleting it from another area.''

One senior Pentagon official said test and evaluation bases were given a ``pass'' in previous rounds of base closures. If Pentagon officials are successful in their quest to get two more rounds of base closures, one in 2001 and another in 2005, there will be an effort to consolidate test and evaluation bases.

The chief problems in making such a complex work would lie in figuring out who would be responsible for financing and running a test range complex shared by several branches of the military.

Management ideas include creating a joint command comprised of officers from all four military services or rotating responsibility among the services, Coyle told the test officials at the Lancaster meeting.

The Southwest Defense Complex's weaknesses include the threat it poses to the continuation of test ranges in Florida and other eastern states.

``They have a lot of strong support in Congress and other places,'' Coyle said.

Coyle said there are misperceptions about the effects federal budget cuts are having on the test and evaluation bases. Test and evaluation work is increasing, but the money appropriated to support that work is decreasing, he said.

During his visits to Capital Hill, Coyle said congressional representatives are often surprised at finding out that the military testing workload is increasing.

``You need to show people what your workload is so the decision makers know what is happening,'' Coyle said.

Budget cuts to test and evaluation work have had an effect equal to closing eight bases, Coyle said. The cuts make it difficult to keep the remaining bases viable, Coyle said.

Declining test and evaluation capabilities are actually increasing costs for developing new weapon systems, he said.