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 New York's Hancock Field partners with active-duty Air Force By  Master Sgt. Lillique Ford
                New York National Guard
 HANCOCK FIELD AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, N.Y. – The New York Air National Guard's 174th Attack Wing is about to get a little bit bigger through a partnership with the Air Force. Hancock Field will see the arrival of more than 60 new personnel, two additional MQ-9 aircraft, and an additional ground control station in the coming year as the wing becomes an active associate unit with the Air Force's 49th Wing to improve the training of operators and maintainers of the MQ-9 community. Leaders from the 174th Attack Wing met in Syracuse Sept. 12-14 with partners from the Air Force and 49th Wing based at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, to lay the groundwork for the wing association. The move will place active-duty Air Force personnel at the Air Guard Base for training and operations. "(The) active duty came to us as part of a program to help solve the pilot shortage within the Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) community," said Col. Michael Smith, commander of the 174th Attack Wing. "Working through National Guard Bureau and Headquarters, Air Force, they asked if we could host active duty crews to increase production of students." Over the last four years, the Air Force has faced challenges with the retention of RPA aircrew members and maintainers. Due to the high operational tempo and deployment demands, the Air Force requires a high volume of trained aircrew members to meet the challenge of turnover in the field. That's where wing association leverages training and experience between the service components. By combining the Air National Guard at Hancock Field and active-duty Airmen, the focus on training for both organizations can double the amount of aircrew qualification output and increase retention rates of aircrew and maintenance personnel, said Lt. Col. Keith Walker, commander of the wing's 108th Attack Squadron. The unit is responsible for training MQ-9 sensor operators, pilots and mission coordinators. "It's a breath of fresh air from the active-duty way of life which can sometimes be rinse, wash, repeat for quite a while and you can get stuck in that cycle and you don't necessarily see the light at the end of the tunnel," said Maj. Nate, Executive Officer of the 49th Wing. Nate's last name is withheld from publication due to Air Force security concerns as a current MQ-9 crewmember. "As pilots and sensors, we are essentially deployed in place. We get to go home and see our wives and kids on a daily basis. However, our maintainers are constantly on deployments in high-tempo environments away from loved ones. This opportunity will definitely be a change of pace for them and an opportunity to gain knowledge and experience from a highly recognized maintenance corps," Nate said. Leaders from the 49th Attack Wing look forward to the upcoming active association with the 174th Attack Wing, Nate said. "The 174th Attack Wing has a lot more capability than we knew of in certain areas to support inbound active-duty folks," Nate said. "For instance, there's a Title 10 full-time Chaplain, Mental Health Director, a Flight Doctor and other resources on base that most Air National Guard organizations don't have that we can utilize without having to travel four or five hours to gain these services." The two wings will continue to refine the associated requirements for manpower and infrastructure as Syracuse prepares to welcome active-duty inbound personnel. The initial arrival of seven personnel is expected in the spring of 2018, with instructors, sensor operators and maintainers arriving in the summer and fall of 2018. Additional Air Force personnel from the 49th Wing will be assigned to Hancock Field for tours of 36 months in the first half of 2019. The active associate unit relationship will fully integrate the 49th Wing personnel as crewmembers and instructors training alongside current 174th Attack Wing Air Guard members. The expectation is that Hancock Field will see a 50 percent increase of qualified MQ-9 crews from the associated unit manning provided by the 49th Wing in 2019.
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