Defense Chief Says City Not Immune to Cuts : Military: Defense Secretary Dick Cheney also shoots down any idea of using Miramar Naval Air Station to solve Lindbergh Field crowding.

Though important to the Navy, San Diego will not be exempt from proposed budget cuts facing the military, Defense Secretary Dick Cheney said Monday.

Speaking at a San Diego press conference, Cheney also put the kibosh on a controversial plan to alter Miramar Naval Air Station for use as a civilian airport.

“At this point, we have no plans to transform Miramar or to close down Miramar. I won’t say we won’t listen to proposals from the community--obviously we will,” Cheney said. “But I haven’t seen anything yet that, as defense secretary, I find attractive enough in terms of saying: ‘OK, we’re going to close Miramar and take our business elsewhere.’ ”

While in San Diego for the day, Cheney viewed Navy patrol boat units, a SEAL squad and parachute jump teams at the Naval Amphibious Base, and he addressed a crew of the amphibious assault ship Tarawa at the 32nd Street Naval Station.

Cheney also sought time with enlisted personnel and officers to learn about their concerns.

“It’s useful to get out of Washington once in a while to find out what real folks are thinking about,” Cheney said. Most sailors were concerned about their future in the Navy while relations among many countries are thawing and some members of Congress are pressing for significant military reductions in spending, he said.

Cheney sought to allay some of those concerns, saying that he would not sacrifice readiness and quality of life while budgets are chopped.

“I am committed--so is the President--to trying to protect the quality of life for military personnel,” Cheney said.

“We (are) prepared to take the force down to whatever size the American people will support. But, when we get it down to that level, we want it to be the best we can make it. That you’ve got the best people . . . that they’ve got the best training and equipment they need to do the job we ask them to do. We don’t want to go back to hollow forces that we had in the late ‘70s after Vietnam.”

Cheney also sought to reassure city business leaders that San Diego will continue to play an important role as host to a significant military presence, though it will not be exempt from budget cuts. Although he declined to spell out how severely the city might be hit by force reductions, Cheney said: “San Diego has been, is now, and will continue to be an absolutely crucial part of U.S. naval posture and our military establishment. And that’s not going to change.”

Cheney also spoke to a packed crowd at the San Diego Marriott Hotel celebrating the Chamber of Commerce’s 120th anniversary. At the luncheon, the chamber’s annual “Spirit of San Diego” award was given to Thomas W. Sefton, president of San Diego Trust & Savings Bank.

Questioned by the crowd after his speech and by reporters during a press conference about the Pentagon’s position concerning Miramar, Cheney slapped down the idea of using the sprawling air station to help ease traffic at civilian Lindbergh Field.