Durbin says Peoria safe from 'plane grab'
Peoria Journal-Star
May 6, 2010
By: Andy Kravetz
PEORIA — A plan by the U.S. Air Force to bolster its active-duty fleet by taking cargo planes from the National Guard and the Air Force Reserves wouldn't affect Peoria, according to U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin.
Durbin's office was briefed Thursday by the Air Force, the Air National Guard and the Air Force Reserve. The Illinois Democrat was told Peoria's 182nd Airlift Wing would not lose one of its C-130H Hercules.
"Removing C-130s from Peoria would have been a tremendous loss to the Illinois National Guard," said Durbin. "Keeping this aircraft in Peoria is essential to the training efforts performed by the 182nd Airlift Wing. The Air Force's new plan for replacing retiring planes is a better decision and will ensure that the Peoria Air National Guard unit maintains its capacity to handle domestic emergencies and disasters."
Maj. Brad Leighton, a spokesman with the Illinois National Guard, said the Guard is grateful for Durbin's efforts but would like to hold off any public comment until it has official confirmation from the Air Force.
The Air Force wants to replace some of its aging aircraft with the newer models from the Guard and the Reserve, a move many in the Guard have dubbed a "plane grab."
The Air Force has said one reason for the move is the Air Guard isn't always "accessible" for missions.
The Air Force wanted to shift planes around causing some states to get newer versions of the Hercules while other states would lose one or two planes. Twenty-one planes from the Guard and the Air Force Reserve would have been affected.
According to the National Guard Association of the United States, the states affected would be Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Minnesota, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Texas and West Virginia.
The new plan calls for some states to "loan" planes to a new training unit in Arkansas, said a Senate aide.
The aide said 10 planes from the Air National Guard and eight from the Air Force Reserve will be loaned from their units to the Arkansas unit. The loaned aircraft will be returned at an unspecified date.
News about the move leaked out in March as Congress began to pour over President Obama's 2011 budget proposal. Almost immediately, state officials and Guard leadership complained they weren't consulted by the Air Force about the move.
PEORIA — A plan by the U.S. Air Force to bolster its active-duty fleet by taking cargo planes from the National Guard and the Air Force Reserves wouldn't affect Peoria, according to U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin.
Durbin's office was briefed Thursday by the Air Force, the Air National Guard and the Air Force Reserve. The Illinois Democrat was told Peoria's 182nd Airlift Wing would not lose one of its C-130H Hercules.
"Removing C-130s from Peoria would have been a tremendous loss to the Illinois National Guard," said Durbin. "Keeping this aircraft in Peoria is essential to the training efforts performed by the 182nd Airlift Wing. The Air Force's new plan for replacing retiring planes is a better decision and will ensure that the Peoria Air National Guard unit maintains its capacity to handle domestic emergencies and disasters."
Maj. Brad Leighton, a spokesman with the Illinois National Guard, said the Guard is grateful for Durbin's efforts but would like to hold off any public comment until it has official confirmation from the Air Force.
The Air Force wants to replace some of its aging aircraft with the newer models from the Guard and the Reserve, a move many in the Guard have dubbed a "plane grab."
The Air Force has said one reason for the move is the Air Guard isn't always "accessible" for missions.
The Air Force wanted to shift planes around causing some states to get newer versions of the Hercules while other states would lose one or two planes. Twenty-one planes from the Guard and the Air Force Reserve would have been affected.
According to the National Guard Association of the United States, the states affected would be Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Minnesota, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Texas and West Virginia.
The new plan calls for some states to "loan" planes to a new training unit in Arkansas, said a Senate aide.
The aide said 10 planes from the Air National Guard and eight from the Air Force Reserve will be loaned from their units to the Arkansas unit. The loaned aircraft will be returned at an unspecified date.
News about the move leaked out in March as Congress began to pour over President Obama's 2011 budget proposal. Almost immediately, state officials and Guard leadership complained they weren't consulted by the Air Force about the move.