Letter to the Hon. Barbara Barrett, Secretary of the U.S. Air Force, and General Joseph Lengyel, Chief of the National Guard Bureau - Schumer, Gillibrand and Maloney Urge Air National Guard to Select Stewart Air National Guard Base as Site of New Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron
Letter
Dear Secretary Barrett and General Lengyel,
In 2018, the United States Air Force (USAF) published a candidate list of seventeen installations to be considered for the new Air National Guard (ANG) Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron (AES), including Stewart Air National Guard Base (ANGB) in the Town of Newburgh, New York. Last month, we were pleased to hear that Steward ANGB was on a short list of finalists to be selected. We write once again to encourage you to select Stewart ANGB, given the base and wing's unique combination of operational, manpower, capacity, location and cost advantages that make it the ideal location for the next AES unit.
Stewart ANGB currently possesses all the capabilities needed to support AES operations. The 105th Airlift Wing is co-located with a United States Marine Corps KC-130 squadron on the installation and since November 2010, has been the USAF's "preferred" base to operate the C-17 Globemaster III aircraft, which provides vital global projection due to its Strategic Airlift capability. Additionally, Stewart ANGB is host to skilled and experienced personnel with more than six years of training with other AES units, although it is over 130 miles away from the nearest AES. Stewart ANGB is also placed in one of the best recruiting locations in New York State--we believe its ability to recruit trained medical professionals and flight crew candidates from the robust medical network in our communities make it the ideal potential home for the new AES.
Furthermore, Stewart ANGB is one of the largest ANG bases in the United States. The base employs more than 4,000 people and retains the necessary infrastructure to cost-efficiently, and expertly, conduct AES exercises.
For all of these reasons, we strongly encourage you to select Stewart ANGB for Air National Guard's next Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron. We appreciate your attention to this important matter and look forward to your response. Please do not hesitate to reach out to our offices with any questions.
Source