Michigan lawmakers seek new refueling aircraft to secure future of Selfridge base

Washington — Michigan lawmakers are pressing the Air Force to select Selfridge Air National Guard base in Macomb County for a new squadron of KC-46A refueling tankers, as the Pentagon looks to retire the aging KC-135 Stratotankers currently hosted by the base.

In a letter signed by nearly the entire Michigan delegation plus Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Sen. Gary Peters of Bloomfield Township says Selfridge is the "ideal" location and candidate for a squadron of 12 KC-46s, as well as for new fighter aircraft to replace the base's A-10 squadron.

"With this in mind, we urge the Air Force to base a squadron of twelve KC-46s at Selfridge in addition to a future replacement fighter mission due to its strong operational track record, exceptional personnel and strategic location," the lawmakers wrote.

The Air Force in July 2021 said it intended to replace Selfridge's eight KC-135s with KC-46 tankers but, to date, the service has made final basing decisions for all but two future KC-46 squadrons, Peters said Wednesday.

Peters told The Detroit News he wants to lock in a public and "firm commitment" by the Air Force so that Selfridge gets on that list.

"Right now, Selfridge is not on any formal list of getting a squadron," Peters said in an interview. "I want to make sure that we actually get that squadron, and it's important for us to push the Air Force to make a public commitment and put it on the formal list of a future commitment to base KC-46s at Selfridge."

There is no firm date for the retirement of the KC-135s currently based at Selfridge, Peters said. The defense policy bill that passed Congress last week included a prohibition on divesting any KC-135s during fiscal 2024.

The Air Force did not immediately comment Friday on the KC-46 basing.

Peters' letter seeks a timeline from Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall on the remaining KC-46 basing decisions. Peters said the KC-46 squadron at 12 aircraft would be larger that the current Stratotanker configuration of eight at Selfridge, so that would mean more equipment and personnel to work on and fly the planes, including active-duty forces.

"Basically, getting the KC-46 future-proofs Selfridge. They're the tanker of the future, and they are the key to overcoming the vast distances that we have in the Indo-Pacific, which is what we are making sure that we're prepared for to deal with contingencies there," Peters told The News.

"So if, when we get the KC-46s ― and we need to have that firm commitment — that will keep Selfridge operational for a long time into the future. And again, without a firm commitment, I'm always concerned that anything can happen."

Peters stressed that the push to "lock down" a squadron of KC-46s at Selfridge doesn't mean that Michigan's delegation won't fight for a follow-on fighter mission to replace the A-10 "Warthog" Thunderbolt II, which are slated to be retired in 2027.

Michigan lawmakers have been challenging the Air Force's the decision not to send another fighter squadron to Selfridge since the Pentagon in 2021 said it had chosen Arkansas instead to host its international training center for the F-35 fighter aircraft.

Peters acknowledged Wednesday the "challenges" of getting a new fighter mission at Selfridge, saying it's partly why he and the delegation believe it's "critical" that Michigan doesn't miss the opportunity for a long-term tanker mission.

"We are still aggressively going to work towards making sure we get a replacement fighter mission for the A-10s. But given the fact that the KC-135s are also vulnerable, it would not be prudent for us to pass on opportunity to get the next generation of fuel tanker," Peters said.

"Fuel tankers will always be a part of the future going forward. We always need to refuel aircraft in the air. That's not a mission that's going to go away anytime soon."

Lawmakers and other officials have worried that a refueling mission without the replacement of the A-10s could shrink the footprint of the Harrison Township base, which supports an estimated 5,000 jobs in the community and makes an estimated $850 million in economic impact statewide, according to state figures.

Michigan previously lost two F-16 squadrons, with Selfridge transitioning to A-10s relocated from Battle Creek after its F-16s left in 2009, according to the letter.

The Michigan lawmakers on Wednesday bluntly asked Kendall: "Would you please state which obstacles remain that prevent Selfridge from being included in the Air Force recapitalization plan for the A-10 for advice on how these shortcomings may be remedied?"

Peters' letter to Kendall was signed by all members of Michigan's delegation except for Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit.

In response to the initial decision not to send F-35s to Selfridge in 2021, Peters held up Senate consideration of Kendall's nomination in the Senate, as well as those of nine other Department of Defense nominees. He lifted those holds after a commitment from Air Force leadership to retain and modernize the squadron of A-10s at Selfridge for a few more years.

That bought the state more time to try to make the case for another fighter mission. And Peters insisted Wednesday that effort is not a lost cause, saying Kendall has not "closed the door" on the possibility.

"He hasn’t closed the door at all," Peters said of Kendall. "It is not closed. But the Air Force is still working through what they envision themselves in the type of aircraft that they're gonna have going in the future," Peters said.

"This is a work in progress. We just have to stay focused and keep working at it. I certainly still think there’s a good chance to get another fighter mission, and we should not give up."

The senators and others including U.S. Rep. John James, R-Shelby Township, recently asked to boost funding for advance procurement of the F-15EX Eagle II fighter aircraft as the House and Senate work to adopt fiscal 2024 defense spending bills, with the hope that some might be sent to Selfridge.

Peters noted Wednesday that, even if they were to get more F-15EX funding, it takes at least three years of lead time from funding to procurement of the aircraft, with many of the F-15EXs already authorized to go to other bases.

Supply chain and production issues have caused program delays. With manufacturer Boeing's production schedule, probably the earliest Selfridge could get an F-15EX would be 2029, said Peters, who serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee. That is two years after the Selfridge A-10s are expected to be retired in 2027.

"Quite some time from now," Peters said. "That would leave a gap."

Other possibilities being looked at for Selfridge include next-generation uncrewed or unmanned "collaborative" aircraft that, for example, fly along manned aircraft like the F-35 or F-15EX, Peters said. James has also touted pursuing hypersonics weapons testing for Selfridge.

Michigan officials are making upgrades at Selfridge to accommodate the F-15EX or another next-generation fighter platform, including reconfiguring the runway. Also under construction is a 41,600-square-foot hangar and maintenance facilities that would fit the F-15EX.

Whitmer has pledged to Kendall nearly $100 million in state tax dollars to upgrade the facilities and infrastructure at Selfridge if the Air Force replaces the A-10 there with a "future" fighter mission.

"We're continuing to make investments at the federal level in this effort to make sure it provides the the facilities to handle advanced aircraft, but also our proximity close to major training area up in northern Michigan — the largest raining area east of the Mississippi," Peters said

"We want to make sure we're positioning Selfridge for the long-term future and where the technology is going. We want to have missions that are going to be around for 50 years, for long term."

mburke@detroitnews.com