Opposes proposed closure of Bonners Ferry National Guard Armory

2 November 2015

2 November 2015 To the Editor: Regarding the NewsBF article on the proposed eventual closure of the Bonners Ferry National Guard Armory (the full article is available by clicking here). This is a very poor idea for the following reasons: 1) Militarily, it makes our state assets more vulnerable to attack when they are concentrated in nine locations. 2) Our proximity to the international border positions us for rapid response. 3) The concentration of armories in urban areas will suppress recruitment from rural areas—areas which provide personnel with life skillsets which are valuable to military operations. 4) We have already borne the brunt of closures (real or proposed) of state assets in Boundary County. What I find most disturbing is that this new proposed closure is not coming from the federal government, but is being proposed from our own state authorities. I suggest that our local authorities martial their opposition to this plan. One of the justifications for the proposed closure is the lack of adequate acreage for expansion. I believe that an offer by the County to provide necessary acreage for a suitable site should be part of our plan to keep the National Guard in Boundary County. That would prove our commitment and the costs would be far exceeded by the benefits of having the National Guard here. Gerald B. Higgs Bonners Ferry