Peters Has Made Securing a New Fighter Mission at Selfridge a Top Priority, From Delivering $28 Million for New Aircraft Hangar to Securing Commitments from Defense Department to Protect the Future of the Base
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) released the following statement after President Trump announced that Selfridge Air National Guard will receive a new fighter mission. At an event in Macomb County, the President confirmed that Selfridge would receive 21 F-15EXs – a next-generation fighter aircraft. This announcement follows years of advocacy and efforts by Peters to secure a new fighter mission for Selfridge and protect the future of the base. Peters, who served in the U.S. Navy Reserve and rose to the rank of Lieutenant Commander, drilled at Selfridge for more than a decade.
“After years of persistent work and advocacy, and as someone who had the privilege to drill alongside the dedicated men and women who serve at Selfridge, I am thrilled to welcome this exciting announcement. I have long said that Selfridge Air National Guard Base is a top-tier asset to our nation’s military and the ideal location for an advanced fighter mission. Selfridge is located close to the world-class training venues we have in Northern Michigan and home to highly skilled pilots, crews, and maintainers. Selfridge has the capabilities and the generational expertise needed to keep our military ready and our nation safe.
“I have repeatedly fought and secured investments to prepare for bringing F-15EX fighters to Selfridge, and this decision is going to help ensure the base, Macomb County, and our entire state remain central to U.S. defense strategy and operations for decades to come. Michigan has always stepped up when our country needed us, and as we stare down an increasingly dangerous world with escalating military aggression from our adversaries, Selfridge is the best choice to base these new, next-generation aircraft. I look forward to continue working with our delegation and the Administration to bring these fighters home.”
Selfridge supports approximately 5,000 military and civilian jobs and generates an estimated $850 million in economic impact statewide. Selfridge also supports an estimated 30,000 jobs in Michigan.
Peters has made securing a future fighter mission and strengthening the future of Selfridge Air National Guard Base a top priority. In 2021, Peters held up the confirmation of former-U.S. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall, as well as nine other Department of Defense (DOD) nominees being considered by the Senate, in response to the Air Force’s decision to pass over Selfridge for its planned international F-35 training center. Peters ended his hold on the nominees after receiving strong, written commitmentsfrom the Air Force that Selfridge will continue to play a “critical and ongoing role for our national security.”
Peters has led the Michigan delegation in meeting with and urging top Defense Department officials to replace Selfridge’s A-10 mission with a new, long-term fighter mission. Peters has also hosted numerous DOD and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials at Michigan’s military installations, including Selfridge, to showcase the base and our state’s robust defense capabilities. Peters secured language in the most recent national defense bill encouraging the Air Force to plan for replacement of the 25 Air National Guard fighter aircraft squadrons across the country with advanced fighter aircraft – including the A-10 squadron based at Selfridge Air National Guard Base. Peters has also leveraged his position on the Senate Appropriations Committee to push for the funding needed to procure additional F-15EX fighter jets in the Fiscal Year 2025 Defense Appropriations Act, which passed committee in August 2024. In 2023, Peters urged the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee to include funding for a F-15EX Fighter Mission at Selfridge Air National Guard Base.
To ensure Selfridge was equipped to house a future fighter mission, Peters secured $28 million in federal funding for a new aircraft hangar on the base. The new 41,900 square-foot facility will transform two hangars into a new hangar equipped for fighter maintenance and help to better position the base to be selected for a new, long-term fighter mission.
As a member of the Armed Services Committee, Peters has consistently made the case for Selfridge to host a new fighter mission, stressing how a new mission is not only essential to the ongoing sustainability of Selfridge, but also a cost-effective opportunity for the Air Force and critical for America’s defense strategy. During numerous Armed Services Committee hearings, Peters pushed former-U.S. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall and other top DOD officials to deliver a new fighter mission to the base, including most recently President Trump’s current nominee to serve as Air Force Secretary, Troy Meink.
In addition to securing a new fighter mission, in January 2024, Peters announced that the U.S. Air Force selected Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Macomb County to host a new squadron of twelve KC-46A refueling tankers. This announcement came shortly after Peters led a bipartisan, bicameral group of Michigan delegation members in urging then-U.S. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall to select Selfridge for a new squadron of these next-generation tankers, which will be deployed by the U.S. Air Force for the next 50 years. Earlier this year, Peters introduced bipartisan legislation seeking to preserve the U.S. Air Force’s fighter force structure and support the recapitalization of Air National Guard fighter missions, including at Selfridge. In March, he also led a bipartisan, bicameral resolution to honor the 108th anniversary of Selfridge Air National Guard Base and commemorate the thousands of men and women who have worked and trained and Selfridge since its inception.
To further strengthen Selfridge's role in U.S. national and homeland security efforts, Peters established the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Northern Border Mission Center at the base last year. Peters also secured $3 million in March 2024 to operate this Center at Selfridge, where it is collocated with current DHS components. The Center, which DHS is already working to set up, will coordinate with state, local, and Tribal governments, and other key stakeholders, to ensure DHS and its operational components are able to fulfill their security mission at the Northern Border.
Peters has also been pushing to position Selfridge for additional investments that will keep the base at the forefront of national security efforts for years to come. In recent government funding legislation that was signed into law, Peters secured language authorizing a report that will clarify the basing criteria for Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) and evaluate whether existing Air National Guard units, such as Selfridge, are appropriate basing candidates for CCA. These types of unmanned aircraft are the future of warfare, and this report will help Selfridge better position itself as an installation that has significant long-term value for the Air Force.
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