Peters Statement on Reports of A-10 Retirement Delay

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Gary Peters, a member of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, today released the following statement in response to reports that the Air Force is delaying plans to retire the A-10 fleet in its upcoming fiscal year 2017 budget proposal:

“With the A-10 currently deployed in the mission to fight ISIS, I believe keeping these aircraft active in the next fiscal year is a wise decision. The A-10 fleet has proven to be a critical component of our nation’s military, conducting key close-air support missions that safeguard our brave men and women in combat. I remain committed to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to ensure our servicemembers have all the resources they need to complete their mission safely and effectively.”

Last October, approximately 500 Airmen from the 127th Wing of the Michigan Air National Guard based at Selfridge Air National Guard Base returned from a six-month deployment in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, the mission to eliminate ISIS - including 350 Airmen from units that fly and operate the A-10. During that deployment, the A-10 flew more than 1,600 sorties and logged more than 11,000 hours of combat flight time.