Air Force secretary: Selfridge could 'potentially' get future fighter jet mission

Washington — The secretary of the U.S. Air Force said Tuesday that Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Macomb County would "potentially" be considered for a future fighter mission to replace the base's aging A-10 aircraft, "but at the current time we don't have an option to do that."

Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall was testifying Tuesday morning before the Senate Committee on Armed Services. He responded to questions from Michigan Sen. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, who asked Kendall to affirm that Selfridge is still in contention for a fighter mission to replace the A-10s that will start to be retired in two years.

Kendall replied that the decision announced in January to base a squadron of 12 KC-46A Pegasus refueling tankers at the Selfridge base in Harrison Township was in part because of the planned divestiture of the A-10 fighters. Selfridge also is home to aging KC-135 Stratotankers, which are also slated to be retired.

"Those two are linked together. Our general policy is to replace a flying mission that is divested with a like flying mission where we can. If we can't do that, we try to apply it with another flying mission, and if we can't do that, we try to replace it within an enduring mission," Kendall said.

"And in the case of Selfridge, the KC-46s are basically to replace the combination of the KC-135s and the A-10s. In the future, we may be at a different place."

Kendall added that the next-generation crewless or unmanned "collaborative" aircraft (CCA) that the Air Force is acquiring is a possibility for Selfridge, though officials don't know yet the final number of aircraft that will be purchased, he said.

"But we expect it to be large, so there's a possibility there," Kendall told Peters. "And we're looking, as we build our '26 budget at our overall fighter modernization plan overall, so there is a possibility in the future. But none that we can point to right at this time."

Peters also questioned Gen. David W. Allvin, chief of staff to the Air Force, about the possibility of the Air Force employing KC-46s as a "command and control node" for future CCA aircraft, noting that he understands those decisions are only in the early stages.

"The first step that we need to do is to get a better situational awareness on the KC-46, and that's something that we're looking into very strongly," Allvin said. "Whether that next step is to go from just being a communications node relay to actually doing airborne battle management is something that can be investigated."

The Air Force in January said Selfridge is the "preferred location" to host a KC-46A squadron, pending the results of a planned environmental impact analysis in 2025. The KC-46As are projected to start arriving in 2029.

Air Force officials have projected that jobs will still be lost in the retirement of the A-10s at Selfridge, which are expected to begin divestment in 2026. That retirement process would occur incrementally through 2029 and could result in the net loss of approximately 300 part-time personnel positions and about 25 full-time jobs, accounting for the KC-46A jobs that will be added, the Air Force said.

Bipartisan members of Congress have said they continue to push defense officials for a follow-on fighter mission to replace the A-10s.

Peters has hailed the KC-46 squadron as a "huge" victory for Selfridge, as the aircraft will likely be flying for 50 years or more, "but clearly we want a replacement for a fighter mission," he told The Detroit News after Tuesday's hearing.

While both Kendall and Allvin acknowledged the KC-46 squadron doesn't preclude Selfridge from getting another fighter mission, the possibility does depend on the availability of aircraft, whether F-35s or F-15EXs, Peters said.

Peters noted that the Air Force is planning to spend roughly $5.8 billion to deploy a large number of the CCAs in the next few years, coinciding with when Selfridge will be getting the new KC 46s.

"The future of the Air Force is going to look very different than it looks today, and uncrewed aircraft are going to make up a large number of assets that the Air Force deploys," Peters said.

"But having the anchor of the KC-46 and the versatility and the utility of that aircraft will likely lend itself to a variety of other missions that will be deployed at Selfridge in the future — it's those missions that I'm focused on to make sure that we get to continue to grow the Department of Defense presence in Michigan."

In the meantime, Michigan officials are making upgrades at Selfridge to accommodate a next-generation fighter platform, including reconfiguring the runway. Also under construction are a 41,600-square-foot hangar and maintenance facilities that would fit the F-15EX, though that platform has struggled with production issues.

Gov. Gretchen 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.

mburke@detroitnews.com