US Air Force divestment plans could create capability gaps in the Air National Guard
Two A-10 jets fly a training mission over Maryland. (Photo: US Air National Guard)
The retirement of A-10s would reduce the guard fleet and its squadron structure making it more difficult for the service to accomplish its tasks worldwide.
US Air Force (USAF) divestment plans could deeply impact the Air National Guard and generate capabilities gaps in its inventory, as well as affect its fighter fleet, reduce its squadron structure and hamper its capacity to execute global operations, according to testimony delivered last week before the US Senate Committee on Appropriations.
Leaders of the guard raised the alarm on the risky position the service would be placed in should the plans be executed, with Gen Daniel R. Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau, warning that the US must ensure the branch’s combat and response capabilities reflect the challenges of the future.
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