The final Environmental Assessment for Total Force Training, released here today by Air Combat Command, concludes a “Finding of No Significant Impact.”

The Air Force will implement the proposed action alternative which places a cap on Total Force Training (formerly Operation Snowbird) flights at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base at 2,326 annual flights.  Officials state that total could be smaller.

Total Force Training refers to non-DM unit training that could occur at the base, whether Air Force, sister services (Army, Navy, Marine Corps), Reserve, Air National Guard and foreign military partners.  At the cap, these training activities represent less than 6 percent of the total DM annual airfield operations (a graphic is attached).

The completed EA is the result of a multi-year process that included three public scoping meetings in 2011 and two public comment periods in 2012 and 2014.

The Air Force received more than 1,370 comments during the public comment periods.  All were reviewed and considered and are a part of the official record.

“While this process has taken time,” said Col. James P. Meger, the commander of the 355th Fighter Wing, “it reflects the Air Force’s commitment to a complete and thorough review of the alternatives, impacts, and our analysis and consideration of all public comments.  We are pleased to release this final document today and we thank the community for being part of this process.”

The final EA, named “Update and Implementation of the Total Force Training Mission for Visiting Units (Operation Snowbird, Multi-Service, and Foreign Military Sales) Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona”, can be viewed online at:  http://www.dm.af.mil/library/tftea.asp