Happy April Fools’ Day! Although I wish the following column was a joke, it’s not.

The Montana Congressional delegation (U.S. Senators Max Baucus, Jon Tester, and U.S. Representative Steve Daines) along with Governor Steve Bullock signed a letter that was sent last week to the Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley regarding flying missions at the Montana Air National Guard (MANG).

The Western Word was provided a copy of the letter from a source who follows defense and military issues closely in Montana and across the country. I like to share, so you can read it by clicking on this link:  MT Delegation Letter.

In their letter, the Congressional delegation and the Governor mentioned three things that concern them:

First, they would like C-130J aircraft assigned to MANG before the F-15s are transferred. C-130s are transport or cargo planes and F-15s are fighter jets. They would also like the C-130Js assigned to MANG instead of C-130H1 aircraft because they are newer. Second, they are concerned about the projected loss of personnel (approximately 90 slots) with the C-130 mission replacing the F-15 mission. Third, they are concerned there will not be adequate storage “to house and properly maintain these aircraft” so they would like some funding reprogrammed to build storage facilities for the cargo planes. 

After reading the letter, apparently the delegation and the governor decided to wave the white flag and give up the fight to keep fighter jets in Montana. That’s too bad and it shows their weakness and lack of military experience (zero). It looks like they may be a little concerned about possibly being left out in the cold without any aircraft missions, so they are going after the low-hanging fruit (C-130s) instead of fighting until the bitter end to keep their F-15 fighter mission (or obtain a new fighter mission).

It might be time for the delegation to get a little nasty and use some of the “powerful” influence they tout for the good of Montana’s military. These days it looks like Montana might only get the leftovers from California and Texas in regards to military aircraft missions.

Let’s hope they try harder to protect the nuclear missile mission at Malmstrom AFB in which they might find themselves fighting North Dakota and Wyoming for survival instead of Texas and California.

Don’t get me wrong, cargo planes do serve a valuable purpose in transporting personnel and supplies, so they are better than no flying mission at all. They can also be used for firefighting and that may be the major reason our leaders want them for Montana. Cargo planes are certainly not as “sexy” or used as much as a recruiting tool as the jets (The Navy Blue Angels and the Air Force Thunderbirds fly jets and not cargo planes). Montana’s skies have plenty of open air space for jet fighter training and we already have the trained personnel, the facilities, and the equipment for the jet fighter mission.  Hello?

To me this letter signaled the end of the battle to keep a fighter mission in Montana. I can’t believe that everyone is happy with the direction the Congressional delegation and the Governor decided to take.  That’s no fooling…

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