NJ ANG Wants a Cushion: The BRAC 2005 commission spared the New Jersey Air National Guard’s 108th Air Refueling Wing at McGuire AFB, N.J., although USAF wanted to totally strip its KC-135s, taking only eight of the wing’s aerial refuelers. State and wing officials recognize that leaves them with some excess manpower, so they are joining other ANG units in the search for new missions. The Asbury Park Press reports that New Jersey is eyeing a crisis response group-type mission and even working with the Air Force Reserve Command unit at McGuire.
The Air Force is launching an effort to develop a new stand-off missile with a range of 1,000 nautical miles, or 1,150 miles, that would eventually be used for both air-to-air and air-to-surface missions.