LITTLE ROCK – The leader of the Arkansas National Guard said Friday that President Obama’s plan to reshape and shrink the U.S. military could mean changes for the Guard’s 188th Fighter Wing in Fort Smith.
“We don’t know right now because the president’s budget has not been released … but I think there is certainly a possibility that we will see some reductions,” said Maj. Gen. Bill Wofford, Arkansas’ adjutant general. “That is our concern.”
The president on Thursday announced a new military strategy that moves towards fewer ground forces and shifts U.S. military focus to Asia. The plan also accommodates defense budget cuts of up to $500 billion over 10 years.
“Our military will be leaner, but the world must know that the United States is going to maintain our military superiority,” Obama said during a news conference Thursday at the Pentagon.
The Arkansas National Guard has about 8,000 Army Guard soldiers. The 188th was home to a wing of F-16 fighter jets, known as the Fighting Falcons, until 2005, when the Base Closure and Realignment Commission approved a plan to move the F-16s to the 144th Fighter Wing in California.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
In 2008, partly as a result of community support, the 188th transitioned to the A-10 Thunderbolt II. The 188th has a force of 350 full-time airmen.
Wofford spent Friday at Fort Eustis, a U.S. military installation in Virginia, discussing the president’s plan and its potential impact on the Arkansas.
In a telephone interview with the Arkansas News Bureau, Wofford said details are in short supply and specific recommendations are expected next month.
“We’ve been discussing … what are some of the capabilities that the Guard has that can help support the Army as they come down in strength,” he said. “That is something we are working on. Nothing definite has been determined, everything is still on the table.”
One part of the president’s new military strategy that is a concern, Wofford said, is reducing the number of “legacy” or older aircraft in the Air Force.
“Some of the comments are that the Air Force may reduce legacy aircraft … by about 400 (and) most of the legacy aircraft that are in the Air Force are in the Air Force Reserves or in the Air National Guard,” he said.
“So we’ve got some concern, but we definitely don’t know that the 188th Fort Smith is at risk.”
Talk of merging or closing the 188th Fighter Wing isn’t new, but the speculation has grown in the past month, Wofford said.
The adjunct general said he has talked with the state’s congressional delegation to make sure they understand the value of the fighter wing in Fort Smith.
Because the 188th is stationed at the city’s airport, the U.S. Air Force has not had to spend any funds to maintain the infrastructure needed for the unit, Wofford said. The airport’s close proximity to Fort Chaffee, where training exercises take place, also is a money saver, he said.
“Fort Smith actually provides the most cost-effective fighter training than any unit in the Air National Guard or in the active Air Force,” Wofford said. “We contend that the Fort Smith unit provides the best bang for the buck in the Air Force.”
Wofford said he expects some Air National Guard units to be trimmed or eliminated.
“What our value proposition is, if they’re doing away with A-10s, put another fighter unit at Fort Smith that can take advantage of the close proximity of Fort Chaffee,” he said.