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Maryland’s Air National Guard, which is set to lose its fighter squadron of A-10 Thunderbolts this fall, will get a fighter squadron of F-16s from the District of Columbia in its place, state and federal officials announced this week.
It was the latest development in a tug-of-war over assets between the state and the District that appeared dead last weekend. But the Air Force announced Monday that it will transfer the 121st Fighter Squadron from the D.C. Air National Guard to Maryland.
“This is a historic moment for the Maryland Air National Guard,” said a prepared statement from Brig. Gen. Drew E. Dougherty, the assistant adjutant general, air, for the Maryland Air National Guard.
“Over the past few years, we have been resolute on our commitment to securing a future flying mission. This transition is the first step in delivering a path where we can maintain our highly experienced pilots and maintainers,” his statement said.
Maryland’s Air National Guard is currently home to the 104th Fighter Squadron of A-10C Thunderbolt II, which was based in Middle River. But the Air Force has been trying phase out the 1970s-era A10 for years, and the 104th Fighter Squadron are scheduled to be “divested” by Sept. 30.
The District’s 121st Fighter Squadron, which flies the more modern F-16, is currently based at Andrews Air Force Base in Prince George’s County. It’s not clear if the squadron will stay there or move to Middle River: In a joint statement on the transfer, Maryland Democratic Sens. Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen said details on “the timeline and operational transition from D.C. to Maryland will be coordinated by the Air Force.”
The swap had been part of a massive stopgap budget bill in the House last week that also included a provision giving the District the authority to redevelop the site of the decrepit Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, former home of the Washington Commanders who now play in Landover.
The two provisions were never explicitly linked, but when Republicans balked at the 1,500-page budget bill, the RFK deal and the fighter squadron swap were among the elements that were cut as the final bill was whittled down to just over 100 pages.
The final bill included full federal funding for reconstruction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, a main goal for Maryland lawmakers, but it was widely assumed that the fighter squadron shift that Maryland sought and the RFK Stadium deal that District officials wanted were dead.
But it was later learned that the RFK deal had been approved as a standalone measure in the wee hours of Saturday morning, after the budget was passed and most of the senators had left the chamber eager to get out of town for the holiday.
That bill lets the federal government maintain ownership of the 174-acre site on the Anacostia River but give the District “administrative jurisdiction” over the site, allowing it to develop residential and commercial projects, public space — and a new stadium. District officials are expected to use the prospect of a new stadium to try to lure the Commanders away from Landover.
In response, Gov. Wes Moore announced this week that the state had reached a memorandum of understanding with the owners of the Commanders. in which they agreed to raze the stadium and redevelop the Landover site if they do end up moving.
State and federal lawmakers have repeatedly said that they want to keep the Commanders in Landover and are not afraid of competition from other jurisdictions.
“Our position on the stadium hasn’t changed,” Moore said in a statement Monday. “We are not afraid of competition, and we believe that we can continue to build on decades of partnership with the team here in Maryland. We are confident that Landover is still the best path to a new stadium for the Washington Commanders.”
