 Dear Friend,
Yesterday, we secured a game-changing new F-15EX fighter mission at Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Macomb County.
This is a huge, bipartisan win for Michigan, decades in the making, that will grow our economy, support thousands of jobs and military families, keep expert talent in Michigan like pilots and maintenance workers, and cement Michigan’s leadership in national security and the defense industry for decades to come.
Since day one, I’ve been laser-focused on securing a new fighter mission at Selfridge and supporting the brave service members who step up for our communities every day. Over the last 6 years, I've been advocating for our troops at Selfridge, working with both President Biden and President Trump and our partners on both sides of the aisle, at all levels of government to bring a new fighter mission to the base.
We finally got it done.
F-15EX Eagle II fighter jet shown in U.S. Air Force photo by Ilka Cole. The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.
We secured Selfridge ANGB approximately 20 F-15EX Eagle II fighter jets, the Air Force’s newest fighter aircraft, for a new fighter mission announced by President Trump.
I appreciate the President’s partnership on this new fighter mission that will:
Selfridge currently contributes an estimated $850 million to Michigan’s economy, supporting 30,000 jobs statewide and over 5,000 service members. The new fighter mission will bolster the economic impact of Selfridge, locally and statewide.
- Support Jobs and Military Families:
Without the new fighter mission, Selfridge was poised to lose the A-10 fighter squadron, which would have cost the base critical Michigan jobs and $30 million in lost wages. Now, Selfridge is poised to keep expert talent in Michigan like pilots and maintenance workers, and support thousands of military and civilian jobs at the base.
- Cement Michigan’s Leadership in the Defense Industry:
Building on our legacy as the arsenal of democracy, this new fighter mission shows that Michigan is the best place to pioneer the next innovations in national defense. It will continue to support Selfridge as a pillar of Michigan’s broader defense industry, which contributes $30 billion to the state’s economy and supports approximately 166,000 jobs statewide.
- Protect National Security:
Fighter fleets are a critical component of our national defense, readying our nation to respond to a variety of missions at home and abroad. Having a fighter squadron at Selfridge means that for decades, Michigan will be home to critical planes that protect our nation along with everything required to keep them ready to fight – pilots, support personnel, maintenance crew, and their families.
This huge, bipartisan win is cleared for landing in Michigan because of our years of commonsense work with folks on both sides of the aisle and with our partners on the ground in Macomb County. Now, because we put in the work, the future of Selfridge is bright, lasting, and secure.
I’ll keep working with anyone to get things done on the kitchen-table issues that make a real difference for Michigan families
Sincerely,
 Gretchen Whitmer
Governor
 Our Bipartisan Leadership to Secure a Fighter Mission at Selfridge
Since I took office, I’ve been advocating for our troops at Selfridge who were facing detrimental cuts if no one stepped up. I met with President Trump, President Biden, defense officials, state and local partners, and our congressional delegation on both sides of the aisle to push for critical investments to keep Selfridge a leading base for our national security.
In 2022, when I found out that the Air Force planned to divest the A-10 fighter mission from Selfridge without replacement, I knew it was time to take action. If we were to lose the A10s without a new fighter mission, it would be like an elite NASCAR team aging out their car and not replacing it—that team would lose drivers, maintenance crews, and pit crews, and jobs would go away to support other teams. It’s the same with Selfridge: we’d lose pilots, crew, and their families to other squadrons across the country, dealing a massive hit to Michigan’s economy and defense infrastructure with $30 million in lost wages.
Since then, we’ve secured over $60 million in critical, bipartisan investments to remove any obstacles to a new fighter mission at Selfridge, including a new hangar equipped for fighter maintenance, and we worked with President Biden to base a fleet of KC-46A tankers at Selfridge for the Air Force.
Now, with President Trump’s partnership, we have finally secured a new fighter mission that will grow Michigan’s economy, bring new aircraft, keep expert talent in Michigan like pilots and maintenance workers, support military and civilian jobs at the base, and cement Michigan’s leadership in national security and the defense industry for decades to come.
What is a Fighter Mission? Why is it Important to Michigan?
Yesterday, the President announced that he has made a Strategic Basing Decision to station approximately 20 F-15EXs at Selfridge in addition to the already planned fleet of KC-46As tankers the base is set to receive. F-15EX Eagle II is the Air Force’s newest fighter aircraft, which will make Selfridge a crucial base for the latest Air Force technology. According to the Department of Defense, the F-15EXs will begin arriving in FY28, and this basing decision will not overturn other F-15EX basing actions in other states but is rather additive.
The US Air Force fighter fleet is responsible for a variety of missions including maintaining air superiority against an adversary, providing close air support to friendly ground forces, and striking enemy targets.
Having a fighter squadron at Selfridge means that for decades, the planes will call Michigan home between flying missions abroad, along with everything required to keep them ready to fight – pilots, support personnel, maintenance crew, and all their families. A new fighter mission means we get to keep that talent right here in Michigan.
As a critical component of our national defense, this new fighter mission will grow Michigan’s economy, support jobs and our military families, build on our legacy as the arsenal of democracy and keep our state in the lead on national security and defense.
|
