Tyndall hosts first waterway security town hall Published Dec. 20, 2013 By Ashley M. Wright 325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Base officials hosted a town hall meeting on the waterway security proposal Dec. 19 to clarify misconceptions and inform the citizens of Bay County. "Our intent through this process is to ensure transparency, and we are continuing to work with our Bay County community to achieve that throughout this process," said Maj. Anthony McCarty, 325th Security Force Squadron commander, in the Sarzin Lecture Hall at Gulf Coast State College. "This event was the next step in the process." Two classified security assessments conducted at Tyndall AFB identified a "major concern" regarding the 129 miles of coastline surrounding the base. That identification prompted base officials to develop a plan for mitigating threats to that coastline. In the event of a security threat to the installation that involves the coastline, the plan provides base officials the ability, if necessary, to enact a temporary restriction in the threatened area of the coastline, the major said to the crowd of more than 110 that attended the event. The restriction could extend a maximum of 500 feet from the shore, but could be scaled back as the threat dictated. The plan's temporary restrictions mirror those already in place utilized during 53rd Weapons Evaluation Group sub-scale aerial target launches. "Day to day nothing would change, and we hope to never enact any part of the plan," McCarty said in a follow up interview. "However, if someone's business or livelihood was affected by this temporary restriction, in accordance with the proposal, they may petition the wing commander to be allowed in the area. These requests will be handled on a case by case basis and balanced against the safety of all parties including our neighbors in Bay County during the threat." McCarty clarified during the briefing that this plan addresses only the 10 mile portion of the popular recreation area Shell Island that falls under the jurisdiction of Tyndall AFB. Not affected in any way are the seven miles of Shell Island State Park and the three-mile portion of St. Andrews State Park that lies close to Tyndall. When asked to define a threat, McCarty restated that while today no known threat exists to Tyndall Air Force Base, the base must address unforeseeable events for planning purposes. To reach the presentation point of the proposal, Tyndall spent six months meeting with elected officials, concerned citizens and special interest groups to seek feedback and input after the original proposal received harsh criticism during the Army Corps of Engineers' official comment period. "Members of the Bay Defense Alliance have met with [325TH Fighter Wing commander] and his group commanders a number of times since this issue was first presented in the press. There is not a significant issue with the formalization of military jurisdiction of these areas and this should result in an access-neutral policy for the community," said Tom Neubauer, BDA president and audience member. "I also spend weekends frequently with other boaters rafting up at Crooked Island. The restrictions that have been in place for years are related to safety protocols when the 53rd WEG clears the area for the launch of subscale drones. I see no reason to believe this will change." The process of meeting with concerned groups has proven extremely beneficial to Tyndall, according to base officials. "We have worked diligently to hear the concerns of our neighbors in Bay County," said Col. Christopher Holmes, 325th Mission Support Group commander. "The feedback provided this evening brought some added perspective that we will seriously consider and incorporate in the plan if appropriate." The next step in the process is additional town halls with the possibility of hosting some online, McCarty said. After taking in feedback from the community, Tyndall officials will be seeking to resubmit the proposal to the Army COE in the first quarter of 2014. The plan will be resubmitted on the Army's website for another round of public comment. To view the draft proposal, click here.