Air Force Materiel Command’s Gen. Bruce Carlson paid a visit to Fort Walton Beach, Fla., on July 21, seeking to calm local fears over reports that the Air Force is planning to relocate Eglin’s 46th Test Wing to Edwards AFB, Calif., the Pensacola News-Journal reports. “Our proposal to consolidate the 46th Test Wing with the 412th [Test Wing] at Edwards does not move all of the 46th,” Carlson told the paper. He said the plan—if approved—would move flight operations and testing to Edwards, along with an estimated 700 military personnel. Carlson ruled out any desire to move Eglin’s climate laboratory or armaments testing facilities. The proposal to move the unit is still in draft form, he emphasized, and that with all its resources “Eglin will grow.”
Air Force depots are not typically meant for quick repair jobs, but during Operation Epic Fury, the service moved some of its stateside heavy maintenance capability forward to fix battle-damaged aircraft closer to the fight.
