The 270th Air Traffic Control Squadron of the Oregon Air National Guard will fall under the 173rd Operations Group starting Oct. 1, as part of a realignment of the Oregon Headquarters Combat Operations Group, according to a release. The realignment was first announced in a June memo from Brig. Gen. Michael Stencel, commander of the Oregon Air National Guard. The Combat Operations Group has units in Klamath Falls, Rilea, and Portland, and those units will move to the state’s two fighter wings: the 173rd and the 142nd. Though the change doesn’t mean a physical move for the 270th, COG Commander Col. Mark Crosby said he knows it could be stressful. “These changes are always difficult and sometimes disruptive, but I know the airmen of the Combat Operations Group and the fighter wings will take this change on, be bold, and meet the challenge head-on like many others have in our ANG heritage,” he said.
The Air Force displayed all the firepower it has amassed on Okinawa in an unusually diverse show of force this week. IIn a May 6 “Elephant Walk,” Kadena Air Base showcased 24 F-35A Lightning II stealth fighters, eight F-15E Strike Eagles; two U.S. Army Patriot anti-missile batteries near the runway; and…