ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. (AFNS) — Air Force leaders announced one step forward in delivering battlespace command and control. In addition, the Robins AFB has completed two necessary environmental assessments, with a finding of no significant impact, leading to four new missions at Robins Air Force Base.
Those new missions include a Battle Management Control Squadron, an E-11A Battlefield Airborne Communications Node, or BACN, squadron; a Spectrum Warfare Group; and an Advanced Battle Management System Family of Systems, or ABMS FoS.
Completing the two environmental assessments clears the way for the construction of facilities, personnel assignment, operations designation, and overall establishment of new missions to provide an integrated set of command-and-control capabilities for the Air Force.
“We have eagerly anticipated this day and are excited to begin the next phase of mission transformation,” said Col. Lindsay Droz, Robin's AFB installation commander. “At the installation level, we stand ready to support the construction process to welcome these new missions and the Airmen who will support them to central Georgia.”
Robins AFB Anticipated Milestones
– Construction of the ABMS FoS facility began in March 2022 following the completion of the required environmental assessment.
– The Battle Management Control Squadron will transition to Robins AFB in phases beginning in 2023 and is expected to be fully operational by the fiscal year 2025.
– The first E-11A BACN aircraft is expected to arrive at Robins AFB in the spring of 2023, and the unit is expected to be fully operational by the fiscal year 2027.
– Leadership anticipates the activation of the 950th Spectrum Warfare Group headquarters in the fiscal year 2027.
– Construction of a dedicated Battle Management Combined Operations Center, home to three missions, is currently undergoing design review.
Due to this mission transformation effort, there is no plan to reduce workforce billets at Robins AFB, and Georgia Air National Guard members will retrain to roles in the BMCS and ABMS FoS at Robins AFB.
“This next chapter archives the first-of-its-kind Total Force Integrated Wing tasked with 22 years of continuous global overwatch and begins building the foundations for new Georgia Air National Guard missions, ensuring a bright future for Team Robins,” said Col. Christopher Dunlap, 116th Air Control Wing commander. “These four new missions will be essential elements of our National Defense Strategy for many years to come, and I am excited our Georgia Air Guard men and women are at the forefront.”
Active duty Airmen will either be repurposed for the new missions or transition to tasks at other locations. Personnel from needed career fields will be assigned to Robins AFB to fill the remaining positions supporting the new missions.
“New mission requirements and capabilities are already re-imagining the warfighter's battlefield, and the men and women of the 461st Air Control Wing are poised to provide unrivaled expertise to usher in that vision. The EA approval brings us one step closer to bedding down 461 ACW missions at Robins AFB,” said Col. Michelle Carns, commander of the 461st ACW.
These new missions will be a force multiplier for Robins AFB, home to 54 mission partners covering five major commands and three wings, totaling over 23,000 Total Force Airmen, all working together to support America's defense.
In December 2021, the Air Force authorized Air Combat Command and the Georgia ANG to begin the divestment of the E-8 JSTARS fleet. The divestment made way for the bed down of four new missions at Robins AFB that align better with the future Air Force design to prepare for near-peer threats.
To date, six JSTARS aircraft have been divested, with the divestiture of the remaining fleet expected to be complete by the fiscal year 2024. The Air Force continues to maintain mission-capable aircraft and personnel during this time of transformation.
78th Air Base Wing Public Affairs with photos by TSgt Nancy Goldberger and SSgt John Linzmeier.
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