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.
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.
