188th leadership changes announced
by March 4, 2012 5:19 pm 74 views
The 188th Fighter Wing based in Fort Smith will see a leadership change while the unit prepares to deploy to Afghanistan and during a time of uncertainty about the future mission of the 188th.
On Sunday (Mar. 2), Brig. Gen. Dwight Balch, Arkansas Air National Guard commander, announced that wing commander, Col. Thomas Anderson, will relinquish command to Col. Mark Anderson during a formal change of command ceremony scheduled for April 14 at 1 p.m. at the 188th's Ebbing Air National Guard Base.
Col. Mark Anderson now serves as the 188th's vice commander.
The Air Force announced in early February its plans to remove the 20 A-10 “Warthog” planes from the 188th as part of an overall plan to cut 227 aircraft from the fleet, or about 4%. Of the 227, about 100 are A-10 aircraft. The cuts are part of an overall effort by the Department of Defense to make deep cuts in the defense budget during the next 10 years.
Moving the A-10’s out of Fort Smith is expected in fiscal year 2013. The unit employs about 350 full-time personnel, with about 1,000 on the base once a month for training. The annual economic impact of the 188th is estimated at $150 million.
A tentative 188th “re-missioning” plan would have the unit convert to operating the unmanned Predator aircraft. That mission could result in at least 300 jobs lost with the full-time ranks.
Arkansas’ Congressional delegation recently sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta asking for additional information about the Air Force plan.
Col. Thomas Anderson said he initially agreed to serve three years of active duty with the 188th. His tour was extended to six years of active duty and his orders end April 2012.
"It's been a great ride and a very humbling and rewarding opportunity to serve the men and women of the 188th Fighter Wing," Col. Thomas Anderson said in a statement. "This has been my passion and my home since 1988. I remain committed to the Airmen of the 188th and to the Arkansas Air National Guard as I move on to a new assignment at headquarters, Arkansas Air National Guard."
The unit is scheduled to deploy in early July for an about 3-month tour of duty in Afghanistan. A little more than 300 members of the “aviation package” of the 188th are part of the deployment.
It was also announced that Lt. Col. Pete Gauger will be the 188th's vice commander. Gauger now works as the 188th Mission Support Group commander. Lt. Col. Tenise Gardner, 188th Communications Flight commander, was named Gauger's successor as the new Mission Support Group commander.