FORT SMITH, Ark. — Local, state, and federal leaders were at Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Fort Smith on July 2 to reactivate the 85th Fighter Group and 57th Fighter Squadron that were last stationed in Iceland.
The two groups will help train allied nations and their pilots around the world with the F-35 fighter jet as part of the base’s training program.
“This is a historic event,” Col. David M. Skalicky said. “We are truly standing at the threshold of history and of the future as we reactivate the squadron and this group. Reactivating these units is not just about bringing them back into service, it's about forging the future of combat air power.
During the ceremony it was announced that Col. Nicholas Ihde is taking command of the 85th Fighter Group, while Lt. Col. Jonathan Hassell will assume command of the 57th Fighter Squadron.
Col. Ihde said that the first students will be from Poland and will begin flight simulations in September. He added that jets are expected to arrive in December, and they will begin flying that same month.
Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders said those who complete the program will help defend America’s interests abroad. She added the men chosen to lead the program will help build a world-class training program.
"These men bring decades of experience from the highest levels of the pentagon to the front lines in Afghanistan,” Sanders said. “I have full faith in their ability to build the very best F-35 training program in the world here at Ebbing."
Those leading the charge said such a unique program will come with some challenges.
“It's an active-duty mission, on a National Guard base, on a civilian airfield, training foreign military sales customers, with a city and a state that hasn't had fighters in over a decade,” Col. Ihde said. “Some challenges exist there.”
And with the new program heading towards the River Valley, Governor Sanders said the local area and the rest of the state will feel an economic impact.
"The reward for this community will be more than a billion dollars in construction spending alone,” Governor Sanders said “With an estimated annual economic impact of another $450 million that will be felt up and down the Arkansas River Valley and across the entire state.
Governor Sanders added that Arkansas is a crucial component in helping lead the country in helping to deter foreign adversaries.
“Here in Arkansas, we are not timid about being the arsenal of democracy,” Governor Sanders said. “You see that in Camden, where companies like Raytheon and Lockheed Martin. are busy churning out weapons for use to fight the Russians and Hamas, you see it in Little Rock where pilots learn how to fly some of the biggest planes in the air today, the C-130, and today, you see it here in Fort Smith.”
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