In the News

Renee Ellmers Helps Keep 440th Alive
Dunn Daily Record
By Keilah Goff
Monday, July 27, 2015

The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) has once again delayed plans to deactivate the 440th Airlift Wing, a reserve unit that operates 12 C-130 H2 aircraft at Pope Army Airfield on Ft. Bragg.

Col. Karl Schmitkons, who recently took over command of the 440th, announced the latest delay in a July edition of the unit’s newsletter, Combat Airlifter.

“The required timeline was simply unattainable without causing undue haste and hardship so AFRC made the decision to not participate in the Sept. 30 reduction in force (RIF),” Col. Schmitkons stated. “Because the 440 AW’s civilian personnel office also serves the other Air Force tenants on Bragg/Pope, those units also were removed from the AF-wide RIF.”

The 440th had been slated for inactivation in September, the latest in a series of end dates that have been proposed since the reserve unit was originally targeted for closure in March 2014. Officials said delays were caused by area congressmen who fought against the plan.

Both Congresswoman Renee Ellmers and Sen. Thom Tillis submitted amendments in the House and Senate versions of the bill to delay the 440th inactivation.

When the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) came to the House floor, Rep. Ellmers submitted four amendments to prohibit closure of the 440th. One amendment, which was unanimously adopted into the NDAA, will require the Secretary of Defense to personally certify that deactivation of the 440th Airlift Wing will have no impact on military readiness.

Sen. Tillis’ amendment in the Senate version would require the 18th Airborne Corps, 82nd Airborne Division and U.S. Army Special Operations Command to certify that the loss of the 440th would not harm training at Ft. Bragg, the nation’s largest military installation, before the unit would be permitted to be deactivated.

“We were very relieved and encouraged when the Air Force came out about a week ago and said they had pushed the deactivation date back for the 440th to the fall of 2016,” said Rep. Ellmers in a Thursday interview with the Daily Record.

“One of the main issues that I hope was finally realized by the Air Force is the uniqueness of Ft. Bragg and the unique ability that the 440th has to help our paratroopers and our Special Forces train. Because they are part of the global response force, our Special Forces and paratroopers have got to be ready at a moment’s notice,” added Rep. Ellmers. “In order to keep them and their training up-to-date, we have to have a unit ready and capable of providing the service and the training missions — that is paramount to that effort.”

This is not the first major challenge faced by the beleaguered reserve unit.

The 440th Airlift Wing was one of the Air Force units singled out for drastic change by the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC). The Commission’s recommendation that the 440th — then located at General Mitchell Air Reserve Station, Milwaukee, Wis. — be moved to Pope Air Force Base was approved by Congress and the president.

The official transfer of the 440th to Pope took place June 10, 2007, with the transfer of the unit’s aircraft and real property occurring throughout 2007. Gen. Mitchell ARS was officially closed on Feb. 2, 2008.

Now the unit’s members once again find themselves in an indeterminate state. “What we don’t know is what the 440 AW will look like between April 1, 2016, and the new target date for inactivation, Sept. 30, 2016; that is still being determined,” Col. Schmitkons advised his reservists. “In the meantime… I echo (former wing commander) Brig. Gen. Scanlan’s advice — if you find that dream job, I encourage you to pursue it, just as I would regardless of the wing’s future.”

“I feel very strongly that we depend so heavily on those reservists for their abilities and expertise. I hate the fact that they are left hanging in the balance when it comes to these very important decisions,” said Rep. Ellmers. “I would like for it to be a permanent decision, because they have left it as a tentative decision — moving the dates. That is something they need to consider — they are affecting these families greatly with their ability to make decisions.”

Additionally, Rep. Ellmers’ concern extends beyond that of military personnel and families to the impact on the surrounding communities, including her hometown of Dunn.

“From the local perspective, even the Dunn area, there is an economic impact that would occur if the 440th were dismantled,” she said. “Many of the reservists have their civilian jobs. Many of the civilian jobs in the Dunn area are connected to Ft. Bragg and would be affected. Any time you have a loss of our military force, that takes away from the economic development moving forward. The structure of all our communities is greatly affected.”

Rep. Ellmers stressed she will continue to act to help the 440th remain active.

“Our goal — and what we see as our initiative from here on out — is to remain very vigilant… and able to interact with the Air Force on this particular issue — watching and listening closely to any indication that they are moving forward on dismantling,” she said. “We feel very strongly that this would be a detrimental move to our military, especially when we consider military readiness.”

She continued, “We feel very strongly that we want to stay on message — we want to make sure we are continuing to have the conversation with our community, with our constituents and continue the conversation of how important the 440th is.”

She added in a statement released after the decision, “I can promise that this isn’t the last the Air Force will be hearing from me.”