California Military Bases

Strung together nose to tail like a flying freight train, nine camouflage-green Air National Guard cargo planes roared away from Van Nuys Airport for good Saturday, leaving behind a base that is becoming the prize in a touchy land-use conflict. The takeoff in a practice combat formation was the beginning of the end of a military presence at the airport that goes back to the days of Pearl Harbor.

Congressional determination to try to nail shut the Defense Department pork barrel by closing non-essential military bases could have a significant impact on California, especially the San Francisco Bay Area. No military installations in California have been closed in this decade but, during that time, closure or cutbacks have been suggested for a number of bases in the state.