Air Force Chief of Staff announces mission change for Dobbins ARB

  • Published
  • By Courtney Franchio
  • Public Affairs
The Chief of Staff of the Air Force, General T. Michael Moseley, announced four initiatives concerning C-130 tactical airlift today. Each one furthers the service's vision for a seamless total force.

One of the initiatives impacts Dobbins, while three other bases in Tennessee, New York and Arkansas will also be impacted. Total Force Integration is an effort to create more effective partnerships among Regular Air Force, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve components. The effort strives to leverage the strengths inherent within each of the three components.

Announced today, the 94th Airlift Wing, Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Ga., will convert from a domestic C-130 training unit to an operational mobility unit. Unit members currently supporting the training mission will participate more in deployment rotations performed by other reserve airlift units.

"The 94th Airlift Wing has been an operational mobility unit in the past and we are eager and willing to perform any mission that the Air Force requires of us," said Col. Heath Nuckolls, 94th Airlift Wing, commander.

Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark., the Tactical Airlift Center of Excellence, will not only absorb the domestic training formerly done at Dobbins ARB, but will also expand its C-130J training responsibilities, including training international partners on the C-130J.
"Because today's strategic landscape is dynamic and threatening, we have to ensure that, as a total Air Force, we continuously search for and find innovative ways to leverage the limited resources we have available to increase our combat and homeland defense capabilities," said Gen. Moseley. "These initiatives will strengthen an already powerful partnership, and I look forward to seeing the fruits of our collective efforts."

The Tennessee Air National Guard's 118th Airlift Wing has been selected for the proposed standup of a Formal Training Unit at Nashville International Airport. The unit's day-to-day mission will be training allied Airmen from strategic partner nations to safely fly and effectively employ C-130s. The Chief of Staff also formally announced the strategy for Airmen in the New York Air National Guard to partner with the Air Force Reserve's 914th Airlift Wing at Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station. The 914th AW will continue to have primary responsibility for the unit's C-130H airlifters, but will partner with the 107th Air National Guard Wing Airmen in employing these aircraft.