By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
Members of the Missouri Military Preparedness and Enhancement Commission
met at the 139th Airlift Wing as the Missouri Air National Guard
awaits word on whether the wing based at Rosecrans Memorial Airport will receive
the upgraded C-130 cargo planes.
Missouri Military Advocate, Harry Roberts, says the commission
met Tuesday at the air base as the 139th waits for the Pentagon to
give the go ahead for Rosecrans to receive upgraded C-130s.
“If we’re able to secure those here for the 139th,
it’ll probably guarantee the mission here for another 30 to 40 years,” Roberts
tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. “Do I think we’re at a threat? Sure, you’re always
at a threat until you are able to secure that next set of air frames.”
Roberts, the former Buchanan County Presiding Commissioner,
says it is important for the commission to tour military installations across
the state. And while Whiteman Air Force Base in Knob Noster is known internationally
as the sole base for the B-2 stealth bomber and Ft. Leonard Wood has a
commanding presence as an Army base, the 139th based is not
overlooked. Roberts points out the 139th has an international
presence since it trains NATO crews and others at its Advanced Airlift Tactics
Training Center.
The Air National Guard unit at Rosecrans had hoped to be among
the first units to receive the new C-130J cargo planes to replace its C-130H fleet.
The Pentagon, though, passed over the base with its first allocations of the “J”
model.
Roberts points out the Air Guard has many more units to
upgrade, giving St. Joseph time.
“You have to have a minimum of 271 C-130s in the fleet,”
according to Roberts. “So, that helps make sure that we’re not really right now
at a big threat of losing our mission here, but it also helps extend the time
period in which we’re able to secure those new aircraft.”
Two factors play in St. Joseph’s favor. The 139th
Airlift Wing is in the midst of building an entirely new headquarters at
Rosecrans, in the northern portion of the airfield, away from the flood plain.
Rosecrans Memorial Airport is undergoing a complete makeover, something that
will replace an air traffic control tower and buildings constructed in the
1950s. A new runway has been opened. Construction is underway for other
improvements.
Gov. Mike Parson appointed Roberts Missouri Military Advocate
in 2022. In the role, Roberts has the task of keeping watch over a military
presence that generates considerable economic impact to Missouri.
“The overall economic impact to the state of Missouri, if you
figure all of it in, with our installations and also our defense contractors, like
Boeing and Honeywell, it can be worth anywhere between $10 to 15 billion of
federal funding a year,” Roberts states.
Roberts, who still lives in St. Joseph while working in
Jefferson City, says it was especially gratifying for him to show off the 139th
to the commission members.
You can follow Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.