Battle Creek base to get drone unit

BATTLE CREEK, Mich. (WOOD) - The United States Air Force on Friday announced a new plan for the Battle Creek Air National Guard Base.

Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), who is chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, says the Air Force wants to bring in an unmanned aerial drove unit to Battle Creek.

Operators in Battle Creek will control the drones, which will be in places like Afghanistan.

The military had planned to bring in a new flight of cargo planes for the base this year, but the Air Force has decided to scrap that program as a way to cut costs.

Pentagon officials moved the A-10 Warthogs from Battle Creek to the Selfridge Air National Guard Base several years ago with the promise to bring a new mission to Battle Creek.

Under the Air Force plan, the A-10s will be moved from Selfridge and replaced with refueling aircraft.

Sen. Levin says it is not yet clear how the changes will impact jobs.

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Statement from Levin --

"While the Air Force plan announced today would mean changes at Michigan military bases, they also would mean that Michigan National Guard airmen will continue to play a vital and enduring rule in national security, and the planned changes are far less dramatic than uninformed rumors had suggested. News that Battle Creek Air National Guard Base and Selfridge Air National Guard Base will retain vital flying missions is critically important. Addition of an unmanned aerial vehicle control unit would put Battle Creek at the cutting edge of unmanned aerial vehicle operations, a critically important and fast-growing part of our defense strategy. While Selfridge's 127th Wing would lose its A-10 aircraft, it would gain additional KC-135 aerial refueling aircraft, strengthening its role in that key combat support mission.
 
"We do not expect to learn details of how these plans would affect personnel levels until later this spring. I will continue to be in close contact with Air Force officials to ensure that our bases retain the critical personnel they need to conduct these important missions.
 
"The fact that so many in Congress believe we must reduce the deficit with spending cuts alone, with no attempt to close tax loopholes or end tax breaks for the wealthiest among us, made some cuts in important programs inevitable. That rigid ideological refusal is contrary to the strong desire of the American people, and to good public policy. I hope they abandon their position so that we can avoid even deeper cuts to defense and other important programs."