Posted on Jul 9, 2022
Why a plan to cut 1,100-person unit at Scott AFB would be ‘detrimental’ to the Metro East
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In early June, U.S Rep. Mike Bost’s office sent out an urgent statement about the potential loss of a lesser known wing at Scott Air Force Base.
Bost, a Republican from Murphysboro, sounded the alarm on an Air Force proposal to stop funding the C-40 aircraft attached to the 932nd Airlift Wing, which has been stationed at Scott AFB since 2007. It sometimes takes the back seat to the higher profile 375th Air Mobility Wing and U.S. Transportation Command, but the 932nd plays a unique role.
Selling the planes would mean an end to the wing where roughly 800 part-time Air Force Reserve members, 190 Air Reserve technicians, 50 civilians, 28 pilots and 35 flight attendants serve. More than half the wing live within 150 miles of the base, and the wing has a local economic impact of roughly $80 million annually, according to the Air Force. Of the part-time reservists, roughly 125 live in the Metro East.
“In a traditional reserve unit, we are members who were born and raised in your local communities, born in your hospitals, educated in your schools, and we live and we work in your communities,” said wing Commander Col. Glenn Collins.
Bost, a Republican from Murphysboro, sounded the alarm on an Air Force proposal to stop funding the C-40 aircraft attached to the 932nd Airlift Wing, which has been stationed at Scott AFB since 2007. It sometimes takes the back seat to the higher profile 375th Air Mobility Wing and U.S. Transportation Command, but the 932nd plays a unique role.
Selling the planes would mean an end to the wing where roughly 800 part-time Air Force Reserve members, 190 Air Reserve technicians, 50 civilians, 28 pilots and 35 flight attendants serve. More than half the wing live within 150 miles of the base, and the wing has a local economic impact of roughly $80 million annually, according to the Air Force. Of the part-time reservists, roughly 125 live in the Metro East.
“In a traditional reserve unit, we are members who were born and raised in your local communities, born in your hospitals, educated in your schools, and we live and we work in your communities,” said wing Commander Col. Glenn Collins.
Why a plan to cut 1,100-person unit at Scott AFB would be ‘detrimental’ to the Metro East
Posted from news.stlpublicradio.org
Scott AFB
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Here's a perspective from a guy who's been associated with Scott AFB for over 20 years.
Maintaining the flying mission at Scott has been a perennial challenge since at least the 1970s. It once took the concerted efforts of Illinois Congressional delegation with support from Missouri to keep Scott off the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) list. At the time, the base had a C-9 (medevac) squadron, Headquarters Air Force Communications Command, and Headquarters Military Airlift Command. To help win the fight for survival, the Illinois National Guard moved a KC-135 unit to Scott. There was a view from the Air Force at the time that Scott was an office park with a runway. The political pressure was successful, and Scott survived.
After that near-death experience, the Air Force, and state and local governments took steps to make Scott indispensable. St Clair County built an airport on the north side of Scott AFB and connected the two runways with a taxiway. The County Airport was built at a time when Lambert Field at St Louis was at maximum capacity. Unfortunately, TWA was bought out and St Louis is no longer a hub. The County Airport has never done much passenger business. Scott is now a dual-use airport making it harder to close. Other major headquarters units joined the office park increasing the likelihood that the Base would remain open. These include US Transportation Command with two of its Transportation Component Commands, Air Force Air Mobility Command and Army Strategic Deployment and Distribution Command. An Air Force communications and network security command remains at Scott. Defense Communications Command headquarters built a new building on the North Side of the base a few years ago.
Flying operations at Scott are very limited. The 375th Wing lost its C-9s about 10 years ago. It still flies the C-21 (learjet) for executive travel. Transient C-17 and C-130 now provide CONUS medevac support. The ANG Tanker unit does the most daily flying at Scott. The 932nd Reserve Wing flies the C-40.
The overall concern is the viability of the airport functions at Scott. The flying missions could be conducted elsewhere and the airfield operations either closed or turned over the County. The DoD presence on the Base is very strong. It's doubtful that the Base will be completely closed because of the cost of relocating multiple major headquarters. It could become the office park (with a nice golf course) that the Air Force thought it was back in the 1970s.
Maintaining the flying mission at Scott has been a perennial challenge since at least the 1970s. It once took the concerted efforts of Illinois Congressional delegation with support from Missouri to keep Scott off the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) list. At the time, the base had a C-9 (medevac) squadron, Headquarters Air Force Communications Command, and Headquarters Military Airlift Command. To help win the fight for survival, the Illinois National Guard moved a KC-135 unit to Scott. There was a view from the Air Force at the time that Scott was an office park with a runway. The political pressure was successful, and Scott survived.
After that near-death experience, the Air Force, and state and local governments took steps to make Scott indispensable. St Clair County built an airport on the north side of Scott AFB and connected the two runways with a taxiway. The County Airport was built at a time when Lambert Field at St Louis was at maximum capacity. Unfortunately, TWA was bought out and St Louis is no longer a hub. The County Airport has never done much passenger business. Scott is now a dual-use airport making it harder to close. Other major headquarters units joined the office park increasing the likelihood that the Base would remain open. These include US Transportation Command with two of its Transportation Component Commands, Air Force Air Mobility Command and Army Strategic Deployment and Distribution Command. An Air Force communications and network security command remains at Scott. Defense Communications Command headquarters built a new building on the North Side of the base a few years ago.
Flying operations at Scott are very limited. The 375th Wing lost its C-9s about 10 years ago. It still flies the C-21 (learjet) for executive travel. Transient C-17 and C-130 now provide CONUS medevac support. The ANG Tanker unit does the most daily flying at Scott. The 932nd Reserve Wing flies the C-40.
The overall concern is the viability of the airport functions at Scott. The flying missions could be conducted elsewhere and the airfield operations either closed or turned over the County. The DoD presence on the Base is very strong. It's doubtful that the Base will be completely closed because of the cost of relocating multiple major headquarters. It could become the office park (with a nice golf course) that the Air Force thought it was back in the 1970s.
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