Congressman Tim Ryan isn't going to sit by and wait for the Department of Defense to take aim at the Air Force Reserve Base in Vienna.

The base, like all military installations, faces possible closing in 2005.

Championed by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, the Base Realignment and Closure program, or BRAC, calls for a reduction of 25 percent of military installations, commander of the Air Force Reserve 910th Airlift Wing Gen. Michael F. Gjede said Wednesday.

"All Department of Defense installations will come under target," Gjede said at a news conference intended to drum up support for the base. "We're not trying to cause panic or alarm, we just want to be prepared." BRAC is meant to streamline the military, trim excess and increase efficiency, starting with base closings and consolidations in 2005.

Before BRAC can even glance in the direction of the Vienna base, Ryan, a Democrat from Niles, has assembled a coalition of politicians, community leaders and military personnel to present the base's case to Congress.

"With all of the recent changes in our nation, and after Sept. 11 and with troops mobilizing, I think we all need to think twice about closing any base," said U.S. Rep. Melissa Hart, Bradford Woods, Pa., R-4th District. The 4th district includes Farrell, West Middlesex, Shenango Township and a sliver of Hermitage.

Ryan's "nonpartisan campaign" was modeled after the successful "Bring It Home" campaign to bring the next generation of compact cars to General Motors' Lordstown facility. Ryan, who represents the 17th District, enlisted the help of Jim Graham of UAW Local 112, and Tom Humphries of the Youngstown-Warren Regional Chamber of Commerce. Graham and Humphries spearheaded the "Bring It Home" campaign.

"The people in this base depend on us for support," Graham said. "We've got to show the government we need this base here."

The base's economic influence spreads far beyond the confines of Youngstown and Warren, Graham said. The base pumps almost $100 million annually into the region's economy and is the fifth-largest employer in Mahoning and Trumbull counties.

"Ripple effects will be felt in Cleveland, Columbus, Pittsburgh, in the entire state of Ohio and in Pennsylvania," Graham said.

Gjede said the base has some attributes that might make it difficult to close. For example, he said, the base is home to the nation's only fixed-wing aerial- spray mission.

During wartime, the reservists spray zones where American troops will be for disease-carrying mosquitoes.

That spraying capability, said Ms. Hart, could be adapted to defend the country against biological agents.

The base has some "red flags," Gjede said.

"Stable funding at the airport is crucial," he said, adding decreased funding could be interpreted as lack of community support for the base.

Ryan said, "Without the airport, there is no air base."

You can e-mail Herald Staff Writer Amanda Smith-Teutsch at: ateutsch@sharonherald.com