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Massachusetts Air National Guard Partners
with the United States Air Force
Story by 102nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs Office
As part of the Air Force’s Total Force Integration initiatives, Massachusetts’
Air National Guard is teaming with the Air Force to increase augmentation
of an Air Operations Center component Numbered Air Force Headquarters
organization.
Leveraging the experience of Massachusetts Air National Guard members,
the unit plans, commands, controls and executes air, space and infor -
mation capabilities across a full range of military operations. These
operations are a force multiplier in day-to-day operations to major
commands supporting joint commanders through increased communi -
cations, intelligence and weather information to combatant commanders.
Air Force officials have integrated lessons learned from past conflicts to
develop this new concept for command and control of the service’s
fighting forces. The result is the establishment of regionally or functionally
aligned Air Force component Major Commands/ component NAF headquarters
worldwide designed to facilitate the execution and planning of air
and space power more efficiently.
Lt. Gen. Craig R. McKinley, Director of the Air National Guard, is encouraged
by this change and continues to work to ensure that the ANG remains
an important partner in the nation’s defense. “This move is one of many
showing the Air Force is committed to involving the Air National Guard in
all missions,” he said.
It also allows the Massachusetts Governor to maintain critical skills to
meet homeland defense and homeland security missions. The
Massachusetts Air National Guard, Air Force and the National Guard
Bureau are working on a transition and training schedule to ensure an
effective transition for the wing.
Col. Anthony Schiavi, commander of the 102nd Fighter Wing commented,
“This was a major milestone for us. Even though we were leaning very far
forward in hiring for this mission, planning for facility upgrades, etc., a
formal announcement was crucial in ensuring the commitment of the Air
Force and National Guard Bureau to actually make it a reality. That
announcement was made public by our governor and commented on by
both Congressman Delahunt and Senator Kennedy in front of over 1,000
wing members at this year’s Family Day. It was the perfect venue for such
an important announcement as it puts our wing, and our people, on a path
to a secure future. There is still a lot of work to do, but this is a major
milestone along the way.” ✯
New Otis Fire Crash and Rescue
Station Open for Business
By Cliff McDonald, Public Affairs Staff, 102d Fighter Wing
The new Otis Fire Crash and Rescue Station is but one of a series of new construction and base
improvements championed by Sen. Edward M. Kennedy and Rep. William D. Delehunt to transform
the Massachusetts Military Reservation from an aging base fraught with environmental problems to
a state-of-the-art facility designed to meet the nation’s emerging security needs.
The new project replaced an existing antiquated fire station originally built in the early 1950s that
was ill equipped to handle the complexity of current base fire fighting operations. The new facility
supports all aircraft at the Massachusetts Military Reservation including the US Coast Guard, the
Army National Guard – and the F-15s belonging to the 102nd Fighter Wing that streaked toward New
York in response to the September 11 attacks.
This project is the first base construction project approved in two decades, and also included
construction of a fire-fighting equipment storage facility that will protect the MMR and assist
local firefighters in surrounding towns. The Otis station is a key provider of mutual aid to local
communities surrounding the MMR.
In recent years, Delahunt has worked to position the MMR to become a regional center for homeland
security training. A Pentagon study initiated by Delahunt concluded that the MMR should be a
regional training center – especially given the presence of the Army National Guard, the Air National
Guard and the U.S. Coast Guard. The Pentagon noted new training requirements of the military, the
Coast Guard’s expanded role in regional port security, law enforcement and maritime safety as well
as first responder and public safety training at the MMR.
Each modernization step takes us closer to realizing the potential of this unique military resource that
just a few years ago seemed inconceivable. Today, the MMR is a national model for environmentally
responsible, innovative reuse of our military facilities. ✯
The Force of Freedom 21