Defense cuts slated to hit Duluth's 148th Fighter Wing
Defense Department budget cuts could result in job losses at Duluth’s 148th Fighter Wing of the Minnesota Air National Guard.
A proposed mission change could cost the unit 71 of approximately 450 full-time jobs it now provides, according to Major Audra Flanagan. That’s roughly a 15 percent reduction in current full-time staffing at the Duluth base.
The base is on call around-the-clock, prepared to scramble and intercept any air threats, including hijacked aircraft. The North American Aerospace Defense Command, often called NORAD for short, operates 18 such 24-hour response stations, including 16 in the continental United States, one in Alaska and another in Hawaii.
“The fiscal year 2013 Defense Budget mandated the elimination of the 24-hour alert commitment at two NORAD alert sites,” NORAD said in a statement in response to News Tribune requests for information.
“Based on the guidance, NORAD conducted analysis to determine which two sites had the least risk associated with their closure. The two sites selected were Duluth, Minn., and Langley, Va.”
But U.S. Rep. Chip Cravaack, R-North Branch, objects to the proposed mission change in Duluth, saying it leaves the nation more vulnerable to attack. “It leaves a huge hole in the northwest portion of our country, with essentially no protection between Madison and Portland, Ore.”
Cravaack, who represents the 8th Congressional District in Minnesota, said he plans to share his concerns with Pentagon and Defense Department officials.
“I’m going to try my best to inform the Air Force I think it’s making a strategic error,” he said.
Cravaack learned of the proposed mission change in Duluth on Friday.
The news came on the heels of an encouraging announcement earlier this month that the 148th will become one of only six active association units in the nation, bringing active-duty military personnel to the base to train and work with guard members there.
Although no final plans have been unveiled, early models indicate the active-duty affiliation could result in the addition of 40 to 50 active-duty positions at the base.
Flanagan said the combined effect of the active-duty affiliation and the discontinuation of round-the-clock aerospace control alert operations probably would be a net reduction of about 20 to 30 full-time positions in Duluth.
Cravaack said he’s perplexed.
“Why would we announce an active-duty association at the base and then take away one of its vital missions? It makes no sense,” he said.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., issued a statement, saying: “I have worked closely with the 148th Fighter Wing as part of a long-term plan to strengthen the base. I will continue to work with the Air Force and National Guard to see how this development could impact the base and will fight to keep this critical asset to our nation’s defense strong.”