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More than a year after the last of Beale Air Force Base's Stratotankers made a ceremonial farewell flight, the 940th Air Refueling Wing (940 ARW) has been officially resurrected.
This past weekend, a redesignation ceremony converted the unit, whose KC-135s refueled planes during flight, to a support function for the RQ-4 Global Hawk, Beale's unmanned high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft.
The new 940th Wing is a product of changes approved by the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission under President George Bush.
A Department of Defense plan that includes sweeping changes to the role of U.S. Air Force resources could lead to more change at Beale if approved by Congress later this year.
The plan includes retiring 254 fighter aircraft, branch-wide, and transferring about 4,000 airmen's billets from fighter units to ISR — Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.
According to an article published last week by the Air Force Times, Beale stands to gain 348 military personnel and 13 additional RQ-4 Global Hawks for the 9th Reconnaissance Wing.
The plan currently is under challenge by the House Armed Services Committee.
Beale's former refueling wing began as the 940th Troop Carrier Group at McClellan AFB in the 1960s, and was redesignated as the 940th Air Refueling Wing in 1993.
Its refueling mission continued at Mather AFB outside Sacramento until May1998, when the unit was moved to Beale.
The last of Beale's KC-135R Stratotankers left in May 2008 for their new home at Seymour Johnson AFB in North Carolina.
Nancy Pasternak is a staff writer for the Marysville Appeal-Democrat.
This past weekend, a redesignation ceremony converted the unit, whose KC-135s refueled planes during flight, to a support function for the RQ-4 Global Hawk, Beale's unmanned high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft.
The new 940th Wing is a product of changes approved by the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission under President George Bush.
A Department of Defense plan that includes sweeping changes to the role of U.S. Air Force resources could lead to more change at Beale if approved by Congress later this year.
The plan includes retiring 254 fighter aircraft, branch-wide, and transferring about 4,000 airmen's billets from fighter units to ISR — Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.
According to an article published last week by the Air Force Times, Beale stands to gain 348 military personnel and 13 additional RQ-4 Global Hawks for the 9th Reconnaissance Wing.
The plan currently is under challenge by the House Armed Services Committee.
Beale's former refueling wing began as the 940th Troop Carrier Group at McClellan AFB in the 1960s, and was redesignated as the 940th Air Refueling Wing in 1993.
Its refueling mission continued at Mather AFB outside Sacramento until May1998, when the unit was moved to Beale.
The last of Beale's KC-135R Stratotankers left in May 2008 for their new home at Seymour Johnson AFB in North Carolina.
Nancy Pasternak is a staff writer for the Marysville Appeal-Democrat.
