About the Air National Guard

The Air National Guard's federal mission is to maintain well-trained, well-equipped units available for prompt mobilization during combat and to provide assistance during national emergencies, such as natural disasters or civil disturbances. During peacetime, Air National Guard units carry out missions compatible with training, mobilization readiness, and humanitarian and contingency operations. 

The purpose of the Proposed Action is to efficiently and effectively maintain Department of the Air Force combat capability, mission readiness and homeland defense. Replacing legacy aircraft (F-15C/D) with new generation aircraft (F-15EX or F-35A) at Air National Guard fighter wings would represent a major step toward this goal.

Proposed Action

The National Guard Bureau has proposed to replace one squadron of F-15C/D aircraft with one squadron of F-15EX aircraft at two of three fighter wings listed below, and one squadron of F-35A aircraft at either the 104th Fighter Wing or the 159th Fighter Wing. No fighter wing would receive both aircraft. The legacy F-15C/D aircraft would be retired from the inventory due to their age and resulting maintenance costs.

The Proposed Action also includes personnel needed to operate and maintain the F-15EX and F-35A, and construction of new facilities and/or modification of existing facilities to support the beddowns. Additional details are as follows.

• Approximately 100 additional personnel would be needed for the F-15EX beddowns and approximately 80 personnel would be needed for the F-35A beddown.
• Necessary construction projects would be implemented to successfully beddown the aircraft.
• There would be no changes to the special use airspace used for training.

Fighter Wings to Receive New Aircraft

The National Guard Bureau has considered the following fighter wings to receive the new aircraft:

• 104th Fighter Wing at Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport, Westfield, Massachusetts (F-15EX or F-35A)
• 144th Fighter Wing at Fresno Yosemite International Airport, Fresno, California (F-15EX only)
• 159th Fighter Wing at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans, Belle Chasse, Louisiana (F-15EX or F-35A)

If the beddown at one or more of these fighter wings does not occur, it is feasible that they could continue operating their legacy F-15C/D aircraft for a limited time, in which case, construction to support the legacy aircraft would be needed to continue operations.

Per the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act, the National Guard Bureau also analyzed a No Action alternative. Under the No Action alternative, none of these fighter wings would receive the F-15EX or F-35A aircraft, and no construction associated with F-15C/D legacy aircraft would occur.