(The Center Square) – Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in North Carolina is among five installations being assessed for a new combat deployment model.
The Air Force Deployable Combat Wings would be self-sustaining and able to mobilize quickly. The Installation & Mission Support Center, in a release, says stationing airmen in a single location allows “for cohesive training and deployment throughout the Air Force Force Generation cycle.”
Site surveys are also taking place in South Carolina at Shaw Air Force Base, in Arkansas at Little Rock Air Force Base, in Georgia at Moody Air Force Base, and in Idaho at Mountain Home Air Force Base.
“Site surveys are essential to determining a proposed unit’s beddown potential for secretary of the Air Force approval,” said Lt. Col. Hans Winkler, in-garrison operational requirements branch chief for the AFIMSC Intelligence, Strategic Planning and Requirements Directorate. “They examine mission requirements and installation capacities to ensure they can support operational needs while identifying constraints that may need to be addressed.”
On Capitol Hill, U.S. Sen. Ted Budd, R-N.C., said the move could bring 200 new airmen and families to Goldsboro.
“With a growing mission, Seymour Johnson is more vital than ever,” Budd said.
The base is home to the 4th Fighter Wing, 4th Operations Group, 4th Mission Support Group, 4th Medical Group, 4th Maintenance Group, and the 916th Air Refueling Wing.
The move would potentially bolster an already significant footprint in national security. The Tarheel State is home to an estimated 615,000 vets, roughly 90,000 active-duty military, and about 43,000 National Guard and reservists.
In addition to Seymour Johnson, the other major military bases include the U.S. Army’s Fort Bragg and Pope Air Force Base, both in the southeastern part of the state; and U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Camp Lejeune and MCAS New River along the coast, not more than an hour’s drive from the more inland MCAS Cherry Point. There are also two U.S. Coast Guard bases along the northern coast at Elizabeth City; and the Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point on the southern coast in Brunswick County.
