The Air Force Reserve Command plan to accelerate movement of nine of the AFRC A-10s from New Orleans to Whiteman AFB, Mo., has played havoc with Whiteman’s timetable. The Reservists at the Missouri base are not complaining, but officials told the Sedalia Democrat that it normally would take three years to transition a fighter wing to a new base. “We’re cramming it into about eight months,” said Col. Patrick Cord, commander of AFRC’s 442nd Fighter Wing at Whiteman. The Missouri unit also gains some 200 new positions.
The United States Air Force is flying less than historic norms and funding for acquisition and readiness is on a path to further hollow out this too small and old force to that is incapable of sustaining an enduring combat air campaign.
