The Washington, D.C., Air National Guard would transfer ownership of its F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter squadron to the Maryland Air National Guard as part of a proposed stopgap government funding bill unveiled in Congress on Tuesday.
The provision in the bill comes amid ongoing negotiations between lawmakers related to the future of the Washington Commanders football team. The continuing resolution, a temporary funding bill that aims to avoid a government shutdown on Friday night, would put the F-16s at Joint Base Andrews under the authority of the Maryland Guard by next fall if signed into law by President Joe Biden.
“Not later than Sept. 30, 2025, the secretary of the Air Force shall transfer and redesignate the 121st Fighter Squadron of the 113th Wing, District of Columbia Air National Guard, to the 175th Wing of the Maryland Air National Guard,” according to the text of the continuing resolution.
The squadron would not move to another base, as the provision’s language does not authorize “transfer or relocation of billets or operational equipment from Joint Base Andrews.”
The transfer of the fighter squadron comes after it appeared earlier this year that Maryland would be left as the only state without a National Guard flying mission.
In March, it was announced that Maryland’s Warfield Air National Guard Base at Martin State Airport had been selected to transition from its existing flying mission, with 21 A-10 Thunderbolt aircraft, to a cyber wing mission.
“The transition of the 175th Fighter Wing to a cyber wing also aligns the Maryland Air National Guard with an enduring modern mission that meets the requirements of the National Defense Strategy,” a statement from the Wing said. “Warfield ANGB is not precluded from being considered for other potential missions in the future.”
The Department of the Air Force is in the process of doing an environmental analysis of the cyber mission, slated to be completed in fall 2025, before a final decision is made.
Sens. Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen, both Maryland Democrats, had previously decried the sunsetting of Maryland’s A-10 fleet and said in a statement at the time they would “ensure a follow-on flying mission for our Air Guardsmen.”
Cardin told Military.com in an emailed statement Wednesday that the provision is a victory.
“The preservation of the Maryland Air National Guard’s flying mission has been a long-term priority and is indeed a win for our national security,” Cardin said. “It also is a win for our most important asset — our dedicated Guardsmen and women.”
Cardin added that it’s also notable that those current positions will stay at Joint Base Andrews while “simultaneously improving the current manning shortfalls of pilots and maintainers across the National Capitol Region.”
Van Hollen told Military.com in an emailed statement Wednesday that “since the Air Force announced the retirement of the A-10 mission nationwide, Team Maryland has been working to retain another flying fighter mission.”
The lawmaker added that the transfer was “a commonsense solution to ensure we have a well-equipped flying mission at the ready to protect and defend our state, our region, and our country.”
In addition to the fighter squadron, Maryland also scored full congressional funding to rebuild the Key Bridge in Baltimore, which collapsed in March after it was struck by a container ship.
The transfer of the Air National Guard unit was seen as one of several assurances that Maryland’s lawmakers would support the continuing resolution bill — which would also give D.C. control of the land around the city’s aging RFK Stadium, according to reporting earlier this month from The Washington Post.
The redevelopment of that land is seen as a way to potentially bring the Washington Commanders football team back to the RFK Stadium site in Washington, D.C., as the team potentially eyes another home outside of its current stadium in Landover, Maryland.
“I am pleased this important bill was included in the CR, which must pass this week for the federal government to avoid a shutdown,” Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C., said in a news release. “The RFK Stadium bill is a win-win for the federal and D.C. governments.”