[WASHINGTON] As Christians prepared for the Feast of the Nativity, President Joseph R. Biden’s administration continued to make plans, such as Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall III’s recent moves to transfer the 121st Fighter Squadron from the District of Columbia Air National weeks before The squadron came under the direct command of President Donald J. Trump to the Maryland National Guard, commanded by Democratic Governor Wesley WO Moore.
“Working with our congressional delegation and federal partners, we have worked vigorously to sustain Maryland’s aviation mission, both in the interest of national security and to continue Maryland’s proud tradition in defending our country,” the governor said in his Dec .23 press release.
Moore, an Army veteran who revoked his claim received a Bronze Star during his deployment in Afghanistan 2006-2007, only to receive one at a private ceremony at the White House on December 21stthanked Kendall directly.
“We thank the Secretary of the Air Force and all the partners who brought us here,” he said.
The heart of the 121st Fighter Wing is its dozen F-16 Fighting Falcon jets, which replace Maryland’s A-10C Thunderbolt II, also known as the “Warthog.” is scheduled to retire in 2025.
If the move stands, it will significantly reduce Trump’s influence over Maryland’s congressional delegation just as the president is battling with Senate Republicans to confirm key national security appointees, such as Army Bronze Star veteran Pete Hegseth as his Secretary of Defense and former Congressman and Army Reserve Lt. Col. Tulsi Gabbard as his director of national intelligence.
Support for Hegseth and Gabbard in the next session of Congress from Maryland’s Democratic senators Christopher Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks would change the confirmation animated as Senate Republicans seek to stake out their turf and prerogatives over the returning president.
A major factor weighing on Maryland’s congressional delegation is that with the loss of the A-10C, the Maryland Air National Guard would be the only state Air National Guard without aircraft.
Retired National Guard Brigadier General. Gen. Michael B. Berger, who serves as the district’s unofficial National Guard historian, told RedState the transfer was an egregious act of political power.
“It’s an outrage – it’s a disgrace and it’s politics,” the general said.
“I’m telling you, it’s nothing more than politics,” he said. “That Maryland says, ‘We’re losing our A-10 and we want something to replace it, and we hear that the D.C. National Guard has the F-16,” he said. “That’s basically what happens in a swamp deal.”
Failed F-16 wipe attempt in first rolling solution
The 121st Fighter Squadron’s transfer from the District Air National Guard was intended to be part of the original lame-duck continuation solution. a reward for Maryland losing the Washington Commanders football team to the District of Columbia’s state-renovated RFK Stadium.
The Maryland delegation had three priorities in the CR negotiations: to obtain a commitment from commanders in return for their support of the federally funded move that they would not give up rotting out their Landover Stadium when they moved to Washington, and the To secure federal funding for repairs to the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed on March 26 when the Singapore-flagged container ship Dali crashed into its masts – and to take over the 121st Fighter Squadron and its F-16 fighter jets.
Although the F-16 conspiracy was made public in the lame-duck session of Congress, it has been in the works for months.
Washington Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton wrote a letter to Kendall on April 22 protesting the Air Force’s intention to withdraw 40 percent of the D.C. Air National Guard’s personnel.
DC should not rely on the goodwill of the governor of Maryland or any other state to protect its airspace. If the 121st Fighter Squadron were redesignated the Maryland National Guard, the DCNG would have no fighter aircraft. In the event that such jets were needed to protect D.C. airspace, as is often the case, the D.C. mayor or the DCNG could request assistance from a state or territory, but there is no guarantee that the funds will be available in a timely manner – or provided at all. While the President could deploy active-duty troops or federalize a state or territorial National Guard to protect D.C. airspace, the circumstances under which the President can federalize a National Guard are very restricted.
Letter from Holmes Norton protesting the removal of the DC Air Guard’s F-16 from Neil on Scribd
When President Donald J. Trump and Elon Musk killed the 1,500-page continuing resolution, resulting in the 118-page replacement bill, the 121st Fighter Wing’s deployment was also dropped.
In her Dec. 21 statement, Washington Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton that the transfer of the 121st Fighter Squadron, its F-16s, maintenance and administrative personnel was removed from the final continuing resolution.
This celebration was premature.
F-16 transfer is a swipe at Trump’s direct control of military assets?
Kendall’s administration action not only contradicted the will of Congress, which specifically did not authorize the transfer of the F-16, but can also be seen as a setback to Trump’s return as commander in chief of the D.C. National Guard.
In the case of the 50 states and territories with National Guard units, the commander in chief is the governor, but in the case of the DCNG, it is the president.
Although a president has the authority to federalize all National Guard assets, transferring the 121st Fighter Wing under the control of the Maryland governor adds another layer and requires additional steps before the president can exercise control.
Berger: The founding of the National Guard in Washington dates back to the riots in Philadelphia in 1783
Berger said DCNG’s fighter pilots moved so quickly to protect the airspace around the nation’s capital on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, that there was no time to arm the planes, so the pilots were expected to rammed into every enemy aircraft and sacrificed themselves if necessary.
He said the DCNG has a different origin story than other National Guard units across the country, having its roots in the Philadelphia riots of June 1783.
It is a story that reflects the concerns of Holmes Norton.
“The Continental soldiers were promised bonuses that, of course, Congress had not paid,” the general said. “Congress called for the city militia, which did nothing, and when they asked the governor of Pennsylvania for help, he joined the protests instead of helping – he was a Revolutionary War veteran himself.”
Berger said the riots were the real reason the capital was moved to New York City.
Later, after the Constitution was ratified and Washington became the capital, Congress authorized the President to organize a militia of the District of Columbia, appoint its officers, and press them into service, just as governors would their own state militia.
After signing the bill, President Thomas Jefferson personally selected the unit’s first officers.
Trump can reverse Maryland’s F-16 maneuvers
Of course, the 121st Fighter Wing’s fortunes could reverse once the Trump administration takes office.
The man rumored to be Trump’s nominee for Air Force Secretary, Andrew McKenna, is a man who values heritage and history and was one of the civilian pilots chosen to fly a P-51 with the Air Force Force Demo Team to fly.
Maybe it just depends on how badly Maryland wants those Jets.
If the Old Line State’s two Democratic senators, Van Hollen and Alsobrooks, decide to support Hegseth and Gabbard, the District of Columbia may have to forego it.
