WSMV Channel 4 TN Air National Guard faces structure, mission changes

TN Air National Guard faces structure, mission changes

Maj. Gen. Max Haston announced Saturday that the State Air National Guard's mission and structure will change, as part of Department of Defense budget cuts.

All three flying wings will be affected, according to Haston, as the Department of Defense works to find $487 billion in savings over the next decade.

Haston said this was an ongoing process, in the early stages. "We will know more details in the coming weeks concerning the future missions and manning for Tennessee," he said.

Specified in the announcement were the 118th Airlift Wing based out of Nashville, the 134th Air Refueling Wing in Knoxville and the 164th Airlift Wing in Memphis.

According to Randy Harris, TN National Guard spokesman, the 118th will have quite a different mission altogether. "Under the new structure, the 118th will obtain an additional intelligence squadron, a cyber-warfare squadron, and an unmanned vehicle squadron," Harris said.

The unmanned vehicle or drone will be flown by the 118th in Nashville, but the actual drone itself can go elsewhere, Harris said.

The 118th will be losing C-130 Hercules aircraft, Harris said, but the 164th will be replacing their aging C-5A aircraft with C-17's, which will give the state a great deal of airlift capability, especially when it comes to moving large groups.

"Regardless of these changes, I know that the men and women of the Tennessee Air National Guard will continue to fulfill whatever mission assigned to them with the professionalism and determination they've always displayed," Haston said.

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