Show-Me-State Attorney General Jay Nixon filed a lawsuit in federal district court to prevent the Pentagon from moving the F-15 fighters of the Air National Guard’s 131st Fighter Wing out of the state. Nixon says the transfer would “deprive” the governor of an “irreplaceable tool” for homeland security. Nixon wants an injunction to prevent removal of the aircraft while the court reviews the matter. How this lawsuit differs from the one shot down by an earlier US district court ruling remains to be seen.
The U.S. military is maintaining a beefed-up presence in the Middle East, including fighters and air defense assets, following the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities June 22 and subsequent retaliation by the Iranians against Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
