Washington ? The U.S. Air Force has chosen Selfridge Air National Guard base in Macomb County to host a new squadron of KC-46A Pegasus refueling tankers as the military solidifies plans to retire the aging KC-135 Stratotankers and A-10 fighter aircraft currently based there, lawmakers said.
The Michigan delegation got the news about the base's future in a Thursday morning call with Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall, who said the new KC-46A contingent will be a full squadron of 12, according to U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township.
It's a "big deal" for Michigan, which was among 10 states competing "aggressively" for the two future KC-46 squadrons that the Air Force hadn't yet made final basing decisions for, Peters told The Detroit News after the meeting.
"This is very good news for Selfridge," said Peters, who serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee and drilled at Selfridge as a naval reservist. "This means they have a new aircraft platform that will probably be around for 50 years or more.
"I know one particular state that will go unnamed that is very upset that Michigan is getting the KC-46s, and they're not," he added. "Now, we have nine states fighting for the remaining one. I didn't want to be on that list."
The Air Force confirmed the decision Thursday afternoon, saying Selfridge is the "preferred location" to host the next KC-46A squadron, pending the results of a planned environmental impact analysis in 2025. The KC-46As are projected to start arriving in 2029.
"Divesting the aging A-10 fleet and KC-135s and replacing them with the KC-46 ensures Selfridge ANGB has an enduring and modern mission that meets the requirements of the National Defense Strategy," the Air Force said in a statement.
The KC-46A squadron at 12 aircraft would be larger than the current Stratotanker configuration of eight at Selfridge — a 50% increase — meaning additional jobs and equipment for the tanker mission there.
But Air Force officials project jobs will still be lost in the retirement of the A-10s at Selfridge, which are expected to begin divestment in 2026. That retirement process would occur incrementally through 2029 and could result in the net loss of approximately 300 part-time personnel positions and about 25 full-time jobs, accounting for the KC-46A jobs that will be added, the Air Force said.
The KC-135s at Selfridge are expected to begin divestment in 2027, the Air Force said.
Bipartisan members of Congress stressed in Thursday interviews that securing a squadron of KC-46s at Selfridge doesn't mean that Michigan's delegation won't continue to push for a follow-on fighter mission to replace the A-10s. But they expressed concerns about possible job losses in the transitions, especially if the KC-46s don't arrive earlier.
"This is just the first (announcement), because we have two flying missions. The fighter mission is still a work in progress," said U.S. Rep. John James, a Republican whose district includes Selfridge.
"We're gonna do everything we can to make sure that families that are rooted in Harrison (Township) and Macomb County — families that are dedicated to Selfridge and to the A-10 mission — can make a smooth and easy transition to the next aircraft."
Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Lansing, said lawmakers are working to minimize the job losses. The Air Force told lawmakers that most of the people who work on the A-10 mission will be able to move to the KC-46A mission, she said.
"There might not be much of a gap in getting the tankers. We're pushing for there not to be any gap, so we can get those tankers as soon as possible," Stabenow said. "We're talking about more tankers — eight, not 12 — so more staff will be needed. But based on the latest information they gave us, there will be some job losses."
She added that the delegation is trying to ensure there will be only a "minimal" gap between when the A-10s' departure and a follow-on fighter mission arriving at Selfridge.
Stabenow and other lawmakers said they're pushing to be at the front of the line for other missions at Selfridge, including cyber missions, drone aircraft or hypersonics weapons testing, in addition to conversations about the F-35 and the F-15EX.
"This is not about either or. It's about 'and.' We want refuelers and a fighter mission," said U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Holly, a member of the House Armed Services Committee.
Slotkin, who worked with Kendall at the Pentagon during the Obama administration, said she made early and evening calls to the secretary over the tankers. She thinks the Air Force is taking the Selfridge fighter mission seriously, she said.
"We have not let them forget it. And today again on the call, it was one official after the other hammering that same point — Democrats and Republicans. It was a show of bipartisan concern over a fighter mission," Slotkin said.
"But we have to work for it. Just like we had to work for a bigger refueling mission. We're gonna have to work for a fighter mission. And we are all deeply committed to doing that."
The Air Force's statement Thursday said Selfridge is not precluded from being considered for a fighter aircraft mission or other potential missions in the future.
"The update (from Kendall) is there are not (fighter) aircraft available right now for replacement, but he was very clear that the conversion to the KC-46 does not in any way remove Selfridge from future consideration for a manned fighter aircraft — or any other potential missions," Peters said.
Thursday's announcement follows a letter sent to Kendall last month signed by nearly the entire Michigan delegation plus Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, calling Selfridge the "ideal" location and candidate for a squadron of 12 KC-46s, as well as for new fighter aircraft to replace the base's A-10 squadron.
Michigan lawmakers from both parties have been challenging the Air Force's decision not to send another fighter squadron to Selfridge since the Pentagon in 2021 said it had chosen Arkansas instead to host its international training center for the F-35 fighter aircraft.
Kendall, on the call with the delegation Thursday, specifically mentioned the possibility of next-generation crewless or unmanned "collaborative" aircraft that fly along manned aircraft that's currently in development. The Air Force plans to invest $5.8 billion over the next five years to field about 1,000 collaborative combat aircraft (CCAs) by 2030, if the funding is approved by Congress.
"He said it’s the only way we can keep up with the Chinese," Peters said of Kendall. "That represents the future of the Air Force in a lot of ways, and certainly, we would be very competitive in getting that kind of mission."
In fiscal 2024, the request for funding for the CCA platform is about $400 million, Peters noted.
Lawmakers and other officials have worried that a refueling mission without a replacement mission for the A-10s could shrink the footprint of the Harrison Township base, which supports an estimated 5,000 jobs in the community and makes an estimated $850 million in economic impact statewide, according to state figures.
Michigan previously lost two F-16 squadrons, with Selfridge transitioning to A-10s relocated from Battle Creek after its F-16s left in 2009.
The new refueler squadron will benefit from the $40 million aviation "fuel farm" at Selfridge, which allows the aircraft to pull up to be refueled instead of having fuel tanker trucks traversing the base near runways, said former U.S. Rep. Candice Miller, a Republican who previously represented the base and is an honorary commander of Selfridge.
“It is more efficient, cost effective, better for the environment and much safer for our flight line personnel,” said Miller, now public works commissioner for Macomb County.
She urged lawmakers to turn their attention to Peters' effort to make Selfridge a northern border homeland security hub, saying it would bring more personnel and possibly more air assets, water assets and more research, development and intelligence capabilities to Selfridge.
“The new refuelers and being a northern border security hub would ensure the long-term future of Selfridge,” said Miller, who previously chaired the House Homeland Security Committee.
In the meantime, Michigan officials are making upgrades at Selfridge to accommodate a next-generation fighter platform, including reconfiguring the runway. Also under construction are a 41,600-square-foot hangar and maintenance facilities that would fit the F-15EX, though that platform has struggled with production issues.
Whitmer has pledged to Kendall nearly $100 million in state tax dollars to upgrade the facilities and infrastructure at Selfridge if the Air Force replaces the A-10 there with a "future" fighter mission.