The Portuguese-American Leadership Council of the United States

Established 1991

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Dear Senator [Name],

I am writing to urge you to support Sec 341 contained in Senate Bill S. 1034 which, prohibits "the Secretary of the Air Force from reducing the force structure of the Lajes Air Force in the Azores until the Secretary of Defense concludes the European Infrastructure Consolidation Assessment initiated by the Secretary on January 25, 2013, and briefs the congressional defense committees regarding such Assessment".

This bill, whose counterpart in the House of Representatives passed as HR 1960, was supported by the Portuguese-American Congressional Caucus under the leadership of David N. Cicilline (RI), Devin Nunes (CA), Jim Costa (CA), David G. Valadão (CA), Bill Keating (MA), and James P. McGovern (MA) among others.

As you may know, there are more than 1.5 million Portuguese-Americans in the United States, a large portion of who not only claim Azorean ancestry but have family members residing in the Azores. The Lajes Air Base on the island of Terceira has become an integral part of Azorean life for decades contributing greatly to the local economy. It is clear that a drastic reduction at the air base will have a severe economic impact on the Azores.

Most importantly, however, is the importance of the presence of the United States at Lajes in the mid-Atlantic critical to our nation's strategic defense and global readiness.  The historically strong ties with Portugal as one of our nation's most steadfast and reliable allies have made this strategic position possible.

The following are the most compelling reasons for maintaining our strength at Lajes:

• Lajes Field is a valuable asset that enables the expeditionary movement of US military resources and global communications to AFRICOM and CENTCOM's joint, coalition, and NATO operations;
• Lajes is a crucial site for countering the greatest regional threat, al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, which has known ties to al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, Boko Haram, and al-Shabab;
• Terrorist hot-spots can all be reached from Lajes Field in less than 8 hours' flight time and with few if any over-flight concerns;
• From Lajes' strategic location, all 16 of the African countries that hold State Department Travel Warnings can be reached within 6 hours;
• Few other military bases in EUCOM or AFRICOM that can match Lajes' unique capabilities;
• Unlike some of our other European allies, Portugal has never denied us the ability to conduct operational missions;
• It would cost billions to build a base like Lajes today, and if our strategic planners insist on giving up something this vital, then at the very least, the US should encourage the creation of a pilot program to privatize its operations, to keep them running round-the-clock, and to guarantee 24/7 access to the site;
• The absence of an American presence at Lajes would create a vacuum that could easily be filled by other nations with more self-serving agendas, such as the Republic of China which has already advanced overtures in the area.

Passage of this section of S. 1034 is in the interests of our national defense and the long-standing relationship with our faithful ally, the Republic of Portugal.

Sincerely yours,