Congresswoman Renee Ellmers: Continuing the Fight to Save the 440th Airlift Wing

On Monday, I joined Senators Burr and Tillis in meeting with the Air Force Chief of Staff, General Welsh, regarding their upcoming report detailing the rationale for deactivating this Airlift Wing. This report fails to alleviate any of my initial concerns regarding closure of the 440th Airlift Wing, and in no way will it stifle my efforts as I continue working to maintain it. Click here to read my statement on the release of this report.

It was also a proud moment for me this week when I was able to take part in a ceremony with House and Senate leaders who were signing bipartisan legislation aimed at strengthening Medicare and ending decades of temporary billion-dollar patches. As a member of the House Doctors Caucus, this ceremony was especially rewarding because we have worked tirelessly over the years to create a permanent solution that would provide certainty to our nation’s seniors who rely on Medicare and save billions in taxpayer dollars. Click here to read my full statement, or here to watch a video of this signing.

Please reach out to my office if there is ever something we can assist you with or if you have any information you’d like to share with us. We’re here to serve you!

It was such an honor and a pleasure to visit with Shawn Allen (my first ever Naval Academy nomination) in Washington this week! Shawn is from Sanford and is now in his final year of school. Appointing impressive, hard-working young men and women who want to serve our country to the military academies is one of the most rewarding aspects for me as a member of Congress.

This week I met with members of the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA), and Colonel Jeri Graham. I was honored to be presented this Certificate of Appreciation from the MOAA.

On Tuesday, I testified in support of the 440th Airlift Wing at House Armed Services Committee Member Day. The Air Force’s shortsighted decision to deactivate the 440th Airlift Wing located at Pope Army Airfield lacks strategic merit and injects avoidable and unreasonable risks into the readiness of some of the most unique and rapid deployment forces our nation’s military has to offer. Click here to read my full testimony or on the image above to watch the video of my testimony.

Rep. Renee Ellmers lobbies for Fort Bragg’s 440^th Airlift Wing
The Fayetteville Observer
The House Armed Services Committee opened its floor to the entire legislative body Tuesday, and Rep. Renee Ellmers used the opportunity to once again lobby for Fort Bragg’s 440th Airlift Wing. Ellmers is one of several North Carolina legislators involved in efforts to prevent the unit’s deactivation.  The fight is well known to the committee, according to its chairman, Rep. Mac Thornberry, who said the group would continue to work with Ellmers to help save the one-star Air Force Reserve unit that flies the only Air Force planes permanently stationed at Fort Bragg. Ellmers said the 440th Airlift Wing is the only C-130H model wing being shuttered and that makes little sense given that Fort Bragg is home to the Army’s airborne and special operations forces. “To say that I have serious reservations and concerns regarding this decision is a severe understatement,” she said.

NC Lawmakers uniting to block closure of 440^th Airlift Wing
The Air Force Times
“This is a decision that takes the air out of airborne,” Republican Rep. Renee Ellmers said during a House Armed Services Committee member hearing Tuesday. “There have been planes located at Pope since 1954.” The Air Force is moving to retire many of its oldest C-130H model aircraft, and the Pope unit is the only one that would completely close as a result of that effort, Ellmers said. The service has said it would be able to provide enough airlift to support the Army units by rotating other aircraft through based on training requirements. However, Ellmers said she had spoken with Lt. Gen. Joseph Anderson, the commander of Fort Bragg and the 18th Airborne Corps, and he said the move will negatively affect his soldiers’ ability to train. “The removal not only lacks strategic merit, but it injects risk into the readiness of the most unique and rapidly deployable force our military has to offer,” Ellmers said. 

House lawmakers pitch for defense priorities
Stars and Stripes
Fort Bragg also faces the loss of aircraft crucial to training and operations, said Rep. Renee Ellmers, R-N.C., whose district borders the base. The Air Force has targeted the 440th Airlift Wing for deactivation. Ellmers said the unit is the only wing of C-130H cargo aircraft that will be completely closed in the United States and should be protected in this year’s NDAA. “This is a decision that essentially takes the air out of airborne,” she said. The congresswoman called the deactivation “incredibly shortsighted” and said it will leave the 18th Airborne Corps in the lurch by reducing training opportunities.

Fort Bragg Report: Leaders respond to Air Force report on C-130s
The Fayetteville Observer
The Air Force report on its C-130 force structure didn’t have the good news many were holding out hope for when it comes to the fate of the 440th Airlift Wing. Now, local Congressional leaders are weighing in. Here are their full statements: From Rep. Renee Ellmers: Congresswoman Renee Ellmers (R-NC-02), the Representative of Fort Bragg, released the statement below following yesterday’s release of the United States Air Force’s mandatory Report on C-130 Force Structure. “The release of yesterday’s report by the Air Force fails to alleviate any of my initial concerns regarding closure of the 440th Airlift Wing. In no way will this report stifle my efforts in working to maintain this invaluable Wing. It’s a disappointment that the Air Force has refused to acknowledge the strategic concerns expressed by the entire North Carolina delegation.”

 USAF study: C-130 fleet too big, cuts needed to modernize
The Air Force Times
The Air Force’s plans to move C-130s out of certain bases have angered the lawmakers who represent those regions and who have vowed to block the moves. The service wants to move C-130s out of Pope Air Field, North Carolina, with the expectation it would save $116 million over five years. The base supports Army units at Fort Bragg, and the Air Force says other units could support the training exercises there. But lawmakers aren’t buying it. The report “fails to alleviate any of my initial concerns regarding closure of the 440th Airlift Wing,” Rep. Renee Ellmers, R-N.C., said in a statement. “In no way will this report stifle my efforts in working to maintain this invaluable wing. It’s a disappointment that the Air Force has refused to acknowledge the strategic concerns expressed by the entire North Carolina delegation.”