FORT SMITH - Funding has been approved for a $12.5 million facility to house the new missions of the Arkansas Air National Guard’s 188th Fighter Wing, according to an email from the wing commander that was circulated in Fort Smith on Thursday.
Wing commander Col. Mark Anderson on Wednesday sent an email to 188th Fighter Wing/Fort Chaffee Community Council leaders Jerry Stewart and retired Col. Kevin Wear that said “our combined 12.5 million dollar, 40,000 sq./ft. MILCON project is officially approved.”
The email said the wing was also approved for design funds that will allow for the layout of the facility early this summer, which could speed up completion of the wing’s conversion from flying the A-10 Thunderbolt II to its new remotely piloted aircraft, intelligence and targeting missions.
“This is a huge win for the 188th and the entire National Guard,” Anderson wrote in the email. “This facility will be the environment where groundbreaking tactics, techniques and procedures are being formulated for all the components’ intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance professionals.”
The 188th is fortunate to get the new missions, said Wear, who commanded the 188th from May 2006 to October 2008.
“When you change missions in this economic environment, you always like to see the funding come through,” he said.
Wear said to his understanding the wing’s main aircraft hangar will be modified to accommodate an interim operations center for the missions until the current operations building on base can be renovated into the final home of the wing’s missions.
Fort Smith Mayor Sandy Sanders called the announcement “outstanding.” In addition to benefiting the Air National Guard unit, he said, the new missions will require guard members with highly technical skills. The availability of people with those skills can attract companies in thehigh-tech industry to the Fort Smith area.
Wing spokesman Maj. Heath Allen said Thursday that the wing had no comment and would not provide more information about the funding. The email was not supposed to be released to the public because the funding has not been finalized.
“It’s good news but it’s not final,” he said.
The email string showed Stewart forwarded Anderson’s message to 22 people, including Sanders, Sebastian County Judge David Hudson, Van Buren Mayor Bob Freeman, City Administrator Ray Gosack and others, including members of the Community Council.
Gosack forwarded the email to Fort Smith city directors, and City Director Keith Lau sent the email to 14 other addresses, including the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
While not commenting about the funding, Allen said the wing’s conversion was on track and officials were happy with the progress.
Northwest Arkansas, Pages 9 on 03/21/2014