Grand Forks AFB prepped to change mission

  • Published
  • By By Master Sgt. Joseph Kapinos
  • 319th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. --  Beginning March 1, airmen assigned to the 319th Air Refueling Wing will be working under the banner of the 319th Air Base Wing.

The change is the final chapter for a wing that has hosted air refueling aircraft for 50 years.

While it might seem to outsiders that the base is suddenly very quiet because of the lack of jet engine noise, the wing is as busy as ever in preparation for the new mission. Along with preparing to become an air base wing, new personnel from Air Combat Command will begin arriving here in July to assume the RQ-4 Global Hawk mission.

The ACC group will be a tenant unit at the base, as the base remains assigned to Air Mobility Command.

"Our wing has not stopped moving forward since the tankers left in December," said Col. Don Shaffer, 319th ARW commander. "People come to the base expecting a sleepy little burg and are surprised at the level of activity taking place on a daily basis."

"Our mission has changed, yes, but that doesn't mean we don't have a mission," he added.

The wing has also made other changes recently, as they moved from under the control of 18th Air Force to the U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center, a restructuring effort that allows 18th Air Force to focus on the flying and mobility mission while giving the center the ability to focus on the evolving AMC mission sets. The transition of command took place Jan. 6 during a ceremony at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J.