Renovation of the main maintenance hangar at Kingsley Field for the Oregon Air National Guard’s 173rd Fighter Wing is now underway, according to a base release. This activity is part of the broader improvement of facilities at the base to accommodate the expansion of the wing’s F-15C training mission. Hangar 219 is the largest building on the installation and is slated to receive more energy-efficient heating, cooling, and ventilation systems as well as new carpet and fresh paint, states the Sept. 21 release. This project is scheduled for completion in summer 2015. These changes “will breathe some renewed energy into the heavily used facility which has not gone through any major renovation in nearly two decades,” said MSgt. Mike Shirar of the wing’s maintenance training arm. The wing hosts the Air Force’s sole F-15C schoolhouse. Earlier this year, the Air Force announced it would add Active Duty personnel and more F-15s to Kingsley Field to increase pilot production. “With the additional aircraft already on base and new Active Duty personnel arriving soon, we have to be creative in ensuring that our facilities can accommodate the expansion as it is happening,” said 2nd Lt. Oscar Ayala, the deputy base civil engineer.
When Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth rolled out an expansive acquisition reform agenda earlier this month, he promised aggressive implementation and reorganization aimed at transforming the way the Pentagon develops and fields weapons and platforms. The plan appears to have been well-received by past administration officials and lawmakers from both parties who…
