Modernizing the Air National Guard’s equipment and resources is a top priority, said ANG Director Lt. Gen. Stanley Clarke. Speaking at a Dec. 19 Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies event in Arlington, Va., Clarke said he wants to make sure “that the equipment that we have today is going to be recapitalized and modernized.” Using the example of a beautiful, head-turning 1961 Corvette sitting in his garage that he doesn’t trust more than 10 miles away from home, Clarke said it is imperative that the aircraft being utilized in missions are fully updated and well maintained to get the job done. “If I want these people to be battleready, … I want them to feel like the airplanes that they are flying are safe, reliable, and modernized to the point that they can do anything that’s tasked to them” in different environments and under different conditions, Clarke said.
The last remaining T-1 Jayhawk at JBSA-Randolph, Texas, took its final flight to the "Boneyard" at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., on July 15. The 99th Flying Training Squadron will train pilots using T-6 and simulator until it gets T-7 Red Hawk in fiscal 2026.