Could Offshore Platforms Affect National Security?
Beyond the wondrous vista of the shimmering and pristine coastal waters of the Gulf of Mexico reside two of our nation’s most precious resources – the oil and gas reserves below and the airspace above. While the value of further oil and gas exploration to the nation’s security is commonly known, the value of the airspace is not. The traditional pillars of economic growth normally incorporate land, labor and capital. But in Northwest Florida, there is another pillar that is equally valuable – airspace. It allows not only the flow of commercial aviation for business and tourism but military training and testing. Supersonic dogfights, training missions and weapons testing are conducted by F-15 Eagle and F-22 Raptor fighter jets, as well as other military aircraft, in specified blocks of airspace. Such exercises occur at carefully scheduled times to allow pilots unfettered concentration to scream through the air and hone their combat skills in a deliriously swirling amalgamation of blue sk
