Air guard unit to deploy overseas

The 122nd Fighter Wing based at the Fort Wayne Air National Guard Base announced Wednesday it will deploy 300 airmen to the U.S. Central Command Region

The deployment involves about one-third of the 122nd’s members and will take place in early October and will last for six months. The fighter wing flies the A-10 Warthog which is used for close air support and for directing other aircraft involved in attacks on targets on the ground.


The deployment was deemed “historic for its length and size relative to previous Air National Guard deployments, which in the past have ranged from 30 to 90 days”, according to the Air Guard.

Air guard unit to deploy overseas

I thought that this article would be interesting for you guys, since the unit involved, the 122nd, primarily flies A-10 Warthogs, which are really well designed for the coming conflicts in Syria.

The fact that they are sending 1/3 of the unit, at least, to the theater, is pretty dramatic. They've never sent that many of the unit out before, nor for as long. They are planning operations for at least 6 months.

I also thought it... interesting... that they have been planning for the mission for the past year.


This unit is stationed in my town, so it's pretty big news here.

A-10's!!!! F'k yeah!!!! Get some!!!! I'd pay to see those bad boys rip apart some ISIS losers!

And screw the politicians who wanted to ground those tank killers!

a reply to: Jomina

Does this mean it's on?

a reply to: Jomina

Nothing really odd here except the size and length of the deployment. The article doesn't say where within the scope of the CENTCOM AOR that they are going. I would say that it's a good bet that they are headed to Afghanistan. It makes sense to beef up airpower when you draw down ground forces.

I doubt they will be going after ISIS...unless they are stationed in Turkey. Then it will be a whole new ball game for that area.

a reply to: TDawgRex

Last I saw Turkey refused to allow airstrikes against ISIS from their country.

Bahrain?
Qatar?

Maybe the Brits airbase in Cyrpus?

Israel?

a reply to: Xcathdra

We are still negotiating with Turkey about the airbases, among other things. I have a feeling that this time, they will be allowed to use those bases soon.

After all, Turkey hasn't done much for NATO in the past decades and are considered to be nothing more than a parasite by many within the alliance.

I think they'll finally step up to the plate this time around.

originally posted by: Jomina

The deployment was deemed “historic for its length and size relative to previous Air National Guard deployments, which in the past have ranged from 30 to 90 days”, according to the Air Guard.

Air guard unit to deploy overseas

HISTORIC?!? LMFAO

It takes some serious balls to call a 30-90 day rotation a 'deployment'. You're not on ground long enough to learn your mission before it's time to pass the buck on to the next rotation. Essentially you're "Too short to give a #" the moment you hit the ground. Even 6 months is a vacation, not a deployment IMO. Hell on my last one I left my wife 3 months pregnant and came home to an 8 month old daughter.

I was deployed nearly 15 months. But before that I was an instructor out in California for 6 months. I was home for 2 weeks, with just enough time to knock her up, then go to Wisconsin and New Jersey for 3 months to mobilize. I was gone for like 21 months.

I looked back on the first one, which was only 14 months long fondly

That reason alone stands starkly out among a litany of others and is why the Air Force is looked upon with disdain, isn't seen as a real branch of the Armed Forces and generally is the butt of an endless stream of well deserved insults. They have the largest budget, the smallest force and the greatest Officer:Enlisted ratio. Every single one of their "missions" could be given piecemeal to the other branches, with literally no loss of mission readiness. Or at the very least 90% of their force could be absorbed by the other branches (such as the AG, HR, Maint, MP ect) and make the remaining essential personnel (like pilots, and their air crew) subservient to the Army again, or even the Navy.

:End Rant:

originally posted by: TDawgRex
Nothing really odd here except the size and length of the deployment. The article doesn't say where within the scope of the CENTCOM AOR that they are going. I would say that it's a good bet that they are headed to Afghanistan. It makes sense to beef up airpower when you draw down ground forces.

You're right on the money IMO. With the reduction of forces those that are out beating the bushes, or convoying to larger installations will need close air support all the more.

This reminds me of the Iraq draw down. Those A-10's will most likely be used to provide cover while the little Camps/COLs/FOBs finish closing up shop, pack up and truck their equipment to the airfields.

originally posted by: GreenMtnBoys
A-10's!!!! F'k yeah!!!! Get some!!!! I'd pay to see those bad boys rip apart some ISIS losers!

And screw the politicians who wanted to ground those tank killers!

You are paying for it.

new business or unfinished business
?
interesting timing

originally posted by: Xcathdra
a reply to: TDawgRex

Last I saw Turkey refused to allow airstrikes against ISIS from their country.

Bahrain?
Qatar?

Maybe the Brits airbase in Cyrpus?

Israel?

Turkey publicly has said this to protect the hostages ISIS has. However this would not be the first time a county lies about that sort of thing. Hell in this region it is pretty much SOP. Like those Egyptian UAE airstrikes in Libya that Egypt denies ever happened and the US pretends it has no idea about what aircraft are flying around in the region.

Nothing really odd here except the size and length of the deployment.

They may be planing to only deploy the crews for the short time and rotate a new crew in 30-90 days.

The aircraft may be there for a year or more.

They did this for years with some of the navy minesweeps in the Persian gulf.

They left the ships there and just rotated the crews every 6 months.