U.S. Rep. Abe Hamadeh, R-Arizona, wants the Defense Department to reconsider changes at Luke Air Force Base near Phoenix.
During a June 4 hearing of the House Armed Service Committee, Hamadeh was able to confirm a report he received about the downgrade of the 56th Fighter Wing Commander billet at the base from a brigadier general to a colonel.
In a June 12 letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and General David W. Allvin, chief of staff of the Air Force, Hamadeh called the downgrade a “shortsighted decision” affecting Luke AFB, known for its training programs for F-35 fighter pilots. The Center Square received a copy of the letter from Hamadeh.
“Luke’s mission is to ‘Train the World’s Greatest Fighter Pilots and Combat-Ready Airmen,’ and its instructors, tactics and techniques are truly world-class, unmatched by any adversary,” wrote Hamadeh. “The 56th Fighter Wing is currently responsible for integrated operations with five NATO allies, and soon, Luke AFB will train Royal Canadian Air Force F-35 pilots and crews.”
The NATO allies are Belgium, Denmark, Italy, Netherlands and Norway.
Meanwhile, Luke AFB has also trained pilots and personnel from nations such as Australia, Taiwan, Germany, Poland and Singapore.
“The base hosts the only F-35 International Intelligence Formal Training course in the world, creating partner intelligence professionals for high-end F-35 operations integral to winning the Great Power Competition,” wrote Hamadeh. “Downgrading Luke needlessly risks sending the wrong signal to our security partners.”
In a statement to The Center Square following the June 4 hearing, Hamadeh said that “while he supports and appreciates the need to reduce the bloat in our military at the top, we cannot ignore the importance of Luke Air Force Base. Not only to those of us who call CD8 home, but to our nation’s national security.”
With an airspace larger than the size of the state of Maryland, Hamadeh said, “Luke trains 75% of F-35 pilots worldwide and flies 25% of global F-35 flight hours.”
Hamadeh added Luke AFB’s national security role is only expanding.
“Given the fact that Luke’s mission has many growth opportunities, and international partners who send their General Officer counterparts to Luke, having a reciprocal rank leading those engagements is advantageous for obvious reasons,” wrote Hamadeh. “Luke’s unique mission is of profound significance. We shouldn’t rush to fix what’s not broken.”
According to Hamadeh, the Luke AFB community involves 7,000 active-duty service members, 2,500 civilians, 89,000 Department of Defense beneficiaries and 9,000 retirees, all of whom “deserve to continue to have the strongest representation possible.”
