SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - The Illinois Air National Guard will take on three new non-flying missions at two of its Air National Guard wings, Maj. Gen. William L. Enyart, the state adjutant general, announced on June 30.
The U.S. Air Force and National Guard Bureau designated two new non-flying missions for the 183rd Fighter Wing based here in Springfield, which currently flies F-16s. The unit will stand up an Air and Space Operations Center and a Centralized Intermediate Repair Facility for the General Electric F110 jet engine to support five Air National Guard F-16 flying units throughout the country.
The center is an aerospace operation planning, execution and assessment system for the Joint Forces Air Component Commander. It is the primary tool for commanding and executing aerospace power. The new unit would augment Air Force headquarters staffs in planning, coordinating, allocating, tasking and controlling air operations in a wartime theater of operations.
It will be designated as the 183rd Air Operations Group.
"For many of us, this will be a logical progression, going from aircraft operators at the tactical and unit level of war to planners at the operational or theater level of war," said Col. Rick Yoder, commander of the 183rd Operations Group. "We'll no longer be tasked with operating, fixing, supplying or supporting a single airplane. We'll be seeking solutions to issues that affect a whole theater of war."
The conversion from the wing's flying mission to the two new missions will begin in fiscal year 2009. Both should be fully operational by fiscal year 2011.
"We all feel that these are very important missions that will be well performed by the men and women of the 183rd," said Col. Michael A. Meyer, commander of the 183rd Fighter Wing.
In addition to the two new emerging missions, support squadrons, including security forces and civil engineers, will continue to serve at the base.
Another new mission to Illinois is a global logistics or regional supply squadron designated as the 126th Regional Supply Chain Squadron, which will operate in conjunction with the 126th Air Refueling Wing, based at Scott AFB, to support Air Mobility Command (AMC).
The new unit will be comprised of full-time military personnel, who will work closely with the AMC staff on supply issues for the region.
"Our number one priority is our Airmen and supporting them during this mission transition," Enyart said.