Now that the Air National Guard has its Quadrennial Defense Review and Base Realignment and Closure marching orders, it can visualize its future. “The ‘perfect storm’ is here,” said Lt. Gen. Craig McKinley, head of the Air National Guard, and mission sets will change dramatically between now and 2025. McKinley’s briefing charts at AFA’s Air & Space Conference showed that in 2006, 44 percent of the Air Guard was dedicated to flying, 40 percent to expeditionary combat support, and six percent was in new Total Force Integration missions such as unmanned aerial vehicle operations. By 2025, the proportions will be more balanced, with 36 percent of the Air Guardsmen flying, 33 percent in ECS missions, and 18 percent in new TFI operations.
As Hurricane Melissa hammers the Caribbean, the U.S. Air Force’s “Hurricane Hunters” are busy flying into the massive Category 4 storm to collect atmospheric data—with one experiencing greater than expected turbulence Oct. 28.
