The Air Force and the National Guard Bureau have decided that the Pennsylvania Air National Guard’s 111th Fighter Wing at NAS JRB Willow Grove should keep its A-10s through 2010—that’s a one-year extension on the date set by BRAC 2005 for the wing to start dispersing its aircraft to other units. However, Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, who has taken DOD to court over the unit’s disposition, says the Air Force plan “does not go far enough.” Rendell maintains that the BRAC decision called for a Willow Grove enclave sufficient to support a flying mission for the 111th. DOD disagrees about the flying portion. Rendell claims that proposed new missions will not cover all the 111th Air Guardsmen. He says, “The Air Force’s plan is an incomplete and insufficient solution.”
As the Air Force readied for its June 21-22 strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, the service was also putting its Agile Combat Employment strategy into action, dispersing combat aircraft and Airmen from Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar in preparation for a possible Iranian retaliatory attack. Some defense experts say…
