As the Air Force and Air National Guard search for more opportunities to work more closely together, one potential merger in Alabama might have promise, says Air Force Gen. Craig McKinley, National Guard Bureau chief. Speaking to defense reporters Tuesday in Washington, D.C., McKinley highlighted the possibility of bringing the 187th Fighter Wing at Montgomery Regional Airport, which currently flies F-16s, to Maxwell Air Force Base, home to organizations including Air University and Air Force Reserve Command’s 908th Airlift Wing. Moving the Air Guard wing to Maxwell would mean “you can have everything behind the gates and … find a new weapon system that could be flown by the active duty component and Guardsmen.” Conversely, he said, there might a case for creating the association at the Guard location since operating from civilian airports is “pretty cheap,” he noted.
The use of a military counter-drone laser on the southwest border this week—which prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to abruptly close the airspace over El Paso, Texas—will be a “case study” on the complex web of authorities needed to employ such weapons near civilian areas and the consequences of agencies…
