With the possibility of another round of military base closures in the future, a quartet of local federal elected officials are teaming up to try and keep the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station off the list.

On Friday, Congresswoman Kathy Hochul, along with U.S. Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand and Congresswoman Louise Slaughter, called on the Department of Defense to keep the Niagara County location as an active and central player in the nation’s Air Force. The lawmakers’ push comes in light of a Department of Defense announcement on Thursday that would seek to make major cutbacks at bases across the country in order to slim down the defense budget over the next decade.

The Department’s announcement highlighted Air Force plans to retire 65 C-130 aircraft cargo planes, like those at the Niagara Falls base, and also raised a longer term proposal to conduct two rounds of military base closures in the next several years.

In a letter sent to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, the four federal representatives argued that the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station, with its 3,500 employees and an annual direct economic impact of $168 million, is too critical to both the nation’s military and Western New York’s economy to be considered for cutbacks.

Hochul, Schumer, Gillibrand, and Slaughter are urging the Defense Department to preserve the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station’s role as a major contributor to national security, and to search for savings overseas, where the local economy will not be negatively impacted.

“The Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station serves as a crucial part of not only our national security, but the Western New York economy as well,” said Hochul, a member of the House Armed Services Committee. “As the sole military installation in Western New York and the largest employer in Niagara County, the Department of Defense must protect this installation as a key asset in our military efforts. On behalf of my constituents and our local community, I will continue working with the Western New York delegation to ensure this base remains an integral part of our military’s long-term strategic plan.”

Schumer said he is prepared to fight “tooth and nail” to keep the station in active duty.

“The Niagara Falls base is a critical player in our nation’s military readiness and response capability, and provides security along our northern border, all while providing 3,500 jobs to Western New Yorkers and pouring $168 million directly into Western New York’s economy,” Schumer said. “These benefits are too massive to ignore, and that is why I’m joining the Western New York delegation in urging Defense Secretary Leon Panetta to avoid cutbacks in Niagara Falls.”

Slaughter noted all of the hard work spent saving the base from closure in 2005.

“I’ve said it before and I'll say it again, the Niagara Falls Air Base deserves to be the crown jewel of the Air Force,” she said.