188th Gets Jump On New Mission

By Jeff Arnold Times Record

Leaders at the 188th Fighter Wingsay they feel they’re ahead of the curve leading up to the first official step in converting from an A-10 unit to a remotely piloted aircraft, targeting and intelligence unit.

Maj. Heath Allen, 188th executive officer, said one objective Col. Mark Anderson, 188th wing commander, had in mind as the unit prepares for its Site Activation Task Force visit in August was to be prepared to make suggestions to the task force members.

The task force visit will involve about 20 individuals from the National Guard Bureau visiting the 188th for four days to discuss and explore base-specific needs for the conversion and come up with a number of “action items” for the 188th to complete and the bureau will monitor the progress, said Lt. Col. Toby Brallier, the 188th’s conversion project officer.

Col. Pete Gauger, 188th wing vice commander, said a unit might be tempted to wait until its task force visit to begin its conversion work in earnest, but the visit is a back-and-forth process, not just task force members visiting to lay down the law.

Gauger, Brallier and Allen also all agreed another priority for Anderson in the conversion is keeping 188th members informed about the conversion, which includes the requirements if they choose to stay with the 188th and their options if they want to transfer to another unit.

Gauger said they’ve brought in targeteers, intelligence coordinators, RPA pilots and other guard members doing the missions the 188th will be asked to do, including members of RPA units — who like the 188th converted to RPAs from manned aircraft.

Brallier, who came to the 188th about 18 months ago from the North Dakota Air National Guard, flew F-16s for 10 years before converting to RPAs four years ago.

A significant difference is the impact combat can have on guard members who deploy versus guard members who conduct combat stateside in an RPA unit.

While members who deploy can disassociate from family life when they engage in combat, guard members involved in combat through RPA missions — piloting, targeting or intelligence — engage in combat missions for four to eight hours during a nine- to 12-hour shift and then drive home with that still on their mind and unable to discuss it with family or friends.

One thing the 188th did during June, as a lead-up to the task force visit was survey traditional (part-time) members about whether they wanted to remain with the 188th during its conversion or transfer to another unit.

As of June 25, Brallier said about 90 percent to 95 percent of part-time members favored staying with the 188th, while it was about 50/50 among the A-10 pilots.

Some younger pilots who recently finished flight school want to continue flying aircraft, while some older pilots weigh their future outside of the guard, Brallier said. Some pilots eyeing retirement and looking at flying commercial aircraft will stay to keep their qualifications current.

In February, Anderson said the mission change would be the most radical in the 60-year history of the 188th, which was initially established as the 184th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron in October 1953.

In August 2005, the Base Realignment and Closure Commission voted to remove the F-16s from the 188th and replace them with A-10s. The first A-10s arrived at the 188th in April 2007. Gauger said the conversion to remotely piloted aircraft will last much longer than the three years it took to convert from the F-16 to A-10.

Although the changes and length of the conversion bring uncertainty and can weigh on members’ minds, Gauger said he believes the House of Representatives Appropriations Committee setting aside $50 million in its annual defense bill to deal with mission changes in the Air National Guard was a morale booster.

Although members probably aren’t concerned about the conversion not happening as long as preparations for it continue, Gauger said knowing money is set aside for conversion is a good thing.

Allen and Gauger also agreed any unit in the country would be hard-pressed to say their congressional delegation fought harder for them than Arkansas’ delegation fights for the 188th.

Brallier said once the task force completes its on site work and provides the 188th with its action items, that will set the direction and time line for the conversion.