New missions for Guard trumpeted
Dayton Daily News – SPRINGFIELD — Local leaders heralded news Friday, May 7, that the Springfield Air National Guard Base will receive new missions.
City Manager Jim Bodenmiller called the news “tremendous.”
“The Springfield Air National Guard Base is a critical part of our local economy and the employees there are a part of our community,” he said. “I couldn’t be happier with today’s announcements.”
The base, scheduled to lose its missions training both American and Dutch pilots this fall, will now fly the MQ-1 Predator unmanned aircraft.
The National Air and Space Intelligence Center based at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base also will be expanded in Springfield to analyze data from the unmanned aircraft and feed it back to military personnel on the ground.
“It’s really the future of our national defense,” said U.S. Rep. Steve Austria, R-Beavercreek.
U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown said saving jobs at the Springfield base is critical to the entire region.
