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Posted on Mon, Mar. 06, 2006
St. Louis Air Guard unit moving to Whiteman Air Force BaseSAM HANANELAssociated PressWASHINGTON - A St. Louis Air National Guard unit originally slated for closure will instead relocate to Whiteman Air Force Base near Sedalia, Mo., sparing about 250 jobs, Missouri lawmakers said Monday.
The move is a glimmer of good news for Missouri, which lost about 3,000 defense-related jobs in the federal base closure and realignment process last year.
Members of the 131st Fighter Wing, now based at Lambert Airport, will team up with current active-duty personnel at Whiteman to support the B-2 stealth bomber mission.
"I am pleased that the U.S. Air Force found a way to preserve the 131st, one of the most experienced and proven Air Guard units in the country," Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo., said in a written statement.
U.S. Air Force officials considered guard units from around the nation before selecting the 131st, Bond said. The fighter wing will be the only Air Guard unit in the country to fly the B-2.
Missouri officials launched a major effort last year to stop the Defense Department from moving the National Guard's 15 fighter jets from Lambert to other bases around the country. Bond and the state's other federal lawmakers claimed it would jeopardize national security by leaving the region without adequate air defenses.
But the federal Base Closing and Realignment Commission agreed with the Pentagon and the decision was later approved in Congress, along with plans to close dozens of military installations and Guard units across the country. The state also lost a federal lawsuit that claimed Guard units could not be moved without the consent of the governor.
Sen. Jim Talent, R-Mo., said the state's congressional delegation worked together in lobbying the Air Force to make the decision.
"I know they will maintain the standard of excellence for which they are known as they take on this new mission," Talent said.
Rep. Ike Skelton, a Missouri Democrat whose district includes Whiteman, said the new unit would help the base become one of the premier Air Force posts in the nation.
Gov. Matt Blunt, a Republican, said the move would "help defend our state from both foreign and domestic threats."
It was not immediately known when the transfer would take place.
The base at Lambert would remain open under the Pentagon's realignment plan. The 157th Air Operations Group and the 218th Engineering Installation Group will relocate from Jefferson Barracks into space at Lambert.
Maj. Gen. King Sidwell, adjutant general for the Missouri National Guard, called the news an exciting development.
"While the military is transforming to meet current and future objectives, we are prepared to do whatever necessary to remain an effective part of total force," Sidwell said.
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