Engine repair facility to remain at Dyess Published Feb. 13, 2007 By Col. Timothy Ray 7th Bomb Wing commander DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- Since there have been some recent questions raised about Dyess' engine repair program, I was compelled to speak on behalf of Dyess AFB on this issue to ensure the facts were clearly stated. While many of the facts presented in an earlier article about the engine repair facility are true, the one key fact that needs to be clarified is that there is currently no plan to relocate the facility in question. That the Air Force is finding ways to become more streamlined and efficient is nothing new; both Dyess personnel and community leaders have known about Air Force initiatives like Smart Operations for the 21st century and Repair Enterprise 21 for some time now. Headquarters Air Force is leading many efforts to analyze how we do business and how we can do it better and more efficiently. There is ongoing discussion about potential internal reorganization of the repair program here as well as personnel changes, but no current plan to move the operation elsewhere. It's true, we are transforming our force; the Air Force is reducing manning numbers and finding ways to operate more efficiently. Dyess is part of this transformation, and balancing our resources allows us to develop new ways of doing business to meet emerging threats and continue to provide warfighting commanders with the right equipment and Airmen. Make no mistake, Dyess AFB is particularly good at this. Dyess AFB and the Abilene community share a patriotic spirit that is deeply rooted and unique. When things change at Dyess, the community has a need and a right to know, and I assure you we will keep you informed on any issue that may impact Abilene and the entire Big Country community. On the issue of the engine repair program, again, there is no current plan to move this operation from Dyess AFB.