Washington - In February, the Air Force announced its budget proposal for Fiscal Year (FY) 2013.  Included in this budget proposal was a plan to eliminate the A-10 mission of the 188th Fighter Wing of the Air National Guard in Fort Smith, Arkansas.

The 188th Fighter Wing of the Air National Guard in Fort Smith is home to the Flying Razorbacks and employs nearly 1,000 members in both full-time and part-time capacities.  The 188th Fighter Wing has always proven itself to be of great value to the Air Force. Its readiness and capabilities have been demonstrated at home and overseas through multiple deployments including monitoring our nation’s skies after the attacks of September 11, 2001.

As you all know, the 188th Fighter Wing is of critical importance to the Fort Smith region, the State of Arkansas and our nation.  The elimination of the A-10 flying mission from the Arkansas Air National Guard could have a severe economic impact on the Fort Smith region and the State of Arkansas. Loss of this mission could result in hundreds of area jobs lost, and an annual economic impact to the community of approximately $150 million.

Recently, I joined the entire Arkansas delegation in sending a letter to General Mark A. Welsh, III, Chief of Staff for the United States Air Force, requesting that he visit the 188th Fighter Wing. We also asked, again, for the strategic military analysis, readiness study, and budget analysis that led to the decision to eliminate the A-10 flying mission at the 188th Fighter Wing. We have been requesting this information since February of this year.

However, it has become clear that—despite claiming force reductions are driven by budgetary concerns—this analysis does not exist and the decision was instead based on the capstone principle of maintaining one flying mission per state.  

This is simply unacceptable.  The 188th is one of the most cost-efficient A-10 missions, and we are confident that a thorough fiscal analysis would prove its viability.  The entire Arkansas congressional delegation urges the United States Air Force to complete this analysis as promised and reevaluate its decision based on those results.  We are committed to doing what is best for our nation from a budgetary and national security standpoint and that means maintaining a flying mission at the 188th.

While I support the Department of Defense’s efforts to curb discretionary spending, it must be done responsibly and in a way that identifies and preserves the most cost-effective and efficient military units, like the 188th, instead of eliminating them.

As your United States Congressman, I will keep fighting for the 188th Fighter Wing in Fort Smith, and I will continue working with our entire Arkansas congressional delegation and the Air Force to reach the best outcome possible for our airmen, the Fort Smith region, the State of Arkansas, and our nation.


A fifth generation Arkansan, Congressman Mike Ross of Prescott represents the Fourth Congressional District of Arkansas in the U.S. House of Representatives.  Ross serves on the House Energy & Commerce Committee and serves as the ranking member of the U.S. Delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, an association of lawmakers from each of the NATO-member countries.  Ross is also Co-Chair of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus, Co-Chair of the Second Amendment Task Force and Co-Chair of the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of fiscally conservative Democratic House members that advocates the principles of fiscal responsibility and government accountability.