Fort Smith officially lands future U.S. Air Force jet pilot program
It became official on Wednesday. Ebbing Air National Guard Base will be the location for the U.S. Air Force foreign jet fighter training program.
With an economic impact to the Arkansas River Valley anticipated to be about $1 billion a year, foreign pilots are expected to start training sometime between September 2024 and September 2025, the Air Force's fiscal year.
Lt. Col. Drew "Gus" Nash commander of the 33rd Fighter Wing Detachment 1, is assigned to execute the "basing of the mission," he said.
Foreign pilots will be trained to fly F-16 Falcon and F-35 fighter jets.
On Wednesday, the Department of the Air Force officially selected Ebbing Air National Guard Base, Fort Smith, as the location to establish an F-35 Lightning II training center for Foreign Military Sales participants and the new location for the 425th Fighter Squadron, a Republic of Singapore Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon training unit, reported Col. Jeremiah Gentry, Commander of the 188th Wing of the Arkansas Air National Guard.
Nash has been with the 188th Air National Guard since 2001, and he said he will be "the boots on the ground" for the foreign fighter pilot training. Nash has flown the F-16 Falcon fighter plane and the A-10 Warthog.
The mission took a major step forward Wednesday, he said.
"This basing action is very important to helping our nation with our strategic goals with our allies," Nash said.
He said the formal announcement Wednesday will "allow more processes to be executed to start renovations of buildings and facilities."
Also playing instrumental roles will be Col. Jack "Winder" Arthaud, commander of the 33rd Fighter Wing Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, and Col. Jeremiah "Cujo" Gentry, commander of the 188th Wing of the Arkansas Air National Guard.
Nash said the Fort Smith community will benefit from the foreign pilots training. Air force pilots from Singapore will live in the area. Air forces from a contingent of countries participating include Finland, Germany, Poland and Switzerland.
"I do believe there will be a positive economic impact and positive cultural outreach with our allies who will be training here," Nash said. "This promotes our strong military heritage we have enjoyed for decades in Fort Smith."
University of Arkansas - Fort Smith Chancellor Terisa Riley welcomed the news Wednesday.
“I am grateful for the relationship we have in our community which allowed the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith to have a seat at the table from the beginning of our conversations on this project,” Riley said. “On behalf of the university, I made presentations to prospective partners from other countries so they could be aware of the capacity and commitment we have to educating service members and their families.
"We are deeply invested in the economic development in our community, and our UAFS Center for Economic Development will be at the forefront of building the sustainable businesses that will serve our growing community. I am grateful for strong partnerships in our region that were leveraged to bring this project to fruition.”
Former Acting Secretary of the Air Force John P. Roth released a statement about the Wednesday announcement.
"The F-35 program is a multi-service, multi-national effort that dramatically increases interoperability between the U.S. and other F-35 partner nations,” Roth said. “We are fully committed to the F-35 as the cornerstone of the U.S. Air Force’s fighter fleet and look forward to building stronger relationships with nations who want to work byour side.”
The Air Force Foreign Military Sales is a security assistance program authorized by the Arms Export Control Act.The act allows the U.S. to sell defense equipment, conduct training and provide services to a foreign country when the president deems that doing so will strengthen U.S. national security, according to a statement from the Air Force.
The new training center will have the capacity for up to 36 fighter aircraft.
Fort Smith Mayor George McGill said Fort Smith has hit a home run.
"We’re very excited for all that this means for Fort Smith and the region. We are ready and willing to welcome these military members and their families to our community and show them the true meaning of Fort Smith hospitality," McGill said. "This is a big achievement for the area and one that will pay dividends for decades to come.”
The foreign military sales program is estimated to bring about 250 additional full-time positions to Ebbing Air National Guard base, with a potential increase to 600, an Air Force news release states.
Tim Allen, Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce president and CEO said the milestone reached in the "FMS process is "monumental.”
“With this decision, the Air Force is now officially making Fort Smith its home for Foreign Military Pilot Training," Allen said. "We could not have made it to this point without all the partners we’ve brought together, and I’m gratified that our community can celebrate this moment.”
Gov Sarah Huckabee Sanders commended the announcement.
“Arkansas isn’t just the best state in America for service members to live and raise a family – we’re also an international powerhouse," Sanders said. "Today’s announcement makes that fact clear and cements Arkansas’ important role in training, equipping, and supplying our friends across the globe," Sanders said.
Retired Air Force Col. Robert Ator said, “The State of Arkansas has a long history of supporting our military and its missions, which are major economic drivers in Arkansas.”
Ator, director of military affairs at the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, said hosting the Royal Singapore Air Force and the F-35 Foreign Military Sales Pilot Training Center at Ebbing "furthers that history and emphatically places Arkansas on the international stage for strategic deterrence, using the world’s most technologically advanced aircraft."
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Jet fighter pilot training ahead for Ebbing Air National Guard Base
