Chief of Air Force to visit Fort Smith

— The Air Force chief of staff has agreed to visit the Arkansas National Guard’s 188th Fighter Wing in Fort Smith before making a final determination on whether the unit will trade its A-10 jets for a nonflying mission.

Gen. Mark Welsh III told the state’s congressional delegation by phone just before Christmas that he planned a visit to the 188th, fulfilling the delegation’s request that he look at the wing’s operations before ending its mission.

It is not yet known when the visit will take place.

The 188th was told by the Air Force about a year ago that it would be trading its mission of flying close air support in A-10 Warthog jets for a mission remotely piloting drones.

The Fort Smith community launched a steering committee to join the delegation in the fight to keep the planes.

The congressional delegation has met with the secretary of defense and Air Force leaders over the past year, with repeated requests for data justifying ending the 188th’s A-10 mission while other bases that have not deployed as often or had as high of a score on inspections are able to keep their planes.

The 2013 Defense Authorization Bill passed two weeks ago doesn’t prevent the movement of Fort Smith’s planes. But Welsh’s visit is expected to happen before the final decision is made, Air Force officials said.

Arkansas, Pages 11 on 01/03/2013

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