Rendell says he was never consulted and never consented, and at the July 7 BRAC Commission hearing, he reiterated that he will not consent to the deactivation of the 111th fighter wing. A spokesman for the DoD says the National Guard Bureau and others representing the Guard participated in the BRAC process.

Rendell pointed out that the 111th wing is the only Guard unit the BRAC Commission recommended for closure. "The more than 1,000 men and women assigned to (the wing) constitute a well-trained, mission-ready state military force available to me, as governor, to perform state active duty missions dealing with homeland security, natural disasters and other state missions."

The governor repeated his stance at a news conference in Center City Philadelphia as the suit was being filed in federal court there. During the conference, state Attorney General Tom Corbett said the language of the Constitution was clear and added, "this is a no-brainer."

On speakerphone hook-ups from Washington, Sens. Spector and Santorum supported the action. "The National Guard is here to protect the state," Spector said, and he also stressed its importance to homeland security "in case there was an attack on Southeast Philadelphia."

The 111th wing represents about 25% of the state's National Guard. And, while the National Guard can, and has been federalized for national duty in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere, for example, it, unlike the military Reserves, is primarily under the control of the state.

Instant Insights /

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