The citizen airmen and airwomen of the Maryland Air National Guard have flown active missions since 1921, and they have answered the call in dozens of deployments around the world since September 11, 2001. Warfield Air National Guard Base at Martin State Airport is home to roughly 545 pilots and maintainers and has earned numerous Air Force awards for its readiness. The loss of the flying mission in Maryland could mean ending the direct careers of those 545 highly qualified military personnel — and thousands of indirect jobs that depend on the base.
This threat is no longer abstract. The Air Force has moved to divest the 175th Wing's fleet of A-10C Thunderbolt II 'Warthog' aircraft, with the first jet departing for the boneyard at Davis-Monthan in Arizona in March 2025 and an inactivation ceremony for the storied 104th Fighter Squadron held that September as the final aircraft left. The proposed path forward would leave the wing with only a cyber mission unless a replacement flying mission is secured. State and military leaders have made clear that Maryland's airmen — and the state — should not be left as the only ones in the country without a flying mission.
“Surrendering this mission would make Maryland the only state without a flying wing — and throw away a national-security capability that exists nowhere else.”
The economic stakes for our community are enormous. If the flight mission is taken away, Martin State Airport and the State of Maryland would suffer a substantial negative economic impact of tens of millions of dollars. This is felt right here at home — in Middle River and across eastern Baltimore County — in payroll, in local contracts, and in the skilled, good-paying careers that the base sustains for our neighbors.
The history makes the stakes even clearer. The National Park Service has recognized Baltimore County for its contributions to America's World War II effort through its Heritage program, honoring the towns, counties, and citizens who stepped into the workforce to support the war. Middle River was central to that story: the Glenn L. Martin plant here built thousands of aircraft and employed tens of thousands of workers, helping arm the nation in its hour of need. This is hallowed ground in American aviation history, and the flying mission is a living continuation of that legacy.
Most important is what Maryland's mission means to our national defense. In a briefing on the potential removal, leadership emphasized that Maryland's is the only location in the nation pairing a joint force of fighter operations with offensive and defensive full-spectrum intelligence operations. The long-term training and the exquisite skill set required to maintain that joint capability exist only here. In an era when modern warfare turns on swift, decisive action, walking away from that capability would weaken our national security. This is a strategic advantage we cannot afford to lose.
I will keep fighting alongside our congressional delegation, state leaders, and the Guard's own command to secure a replacement flying mission and keep Maryland in the air. Standing with our military and the men and women who serve is not negotiable for me. We owe it to these airmen, to their families, to the local economy they support, and to a nation that is safer because of the unique capability based right here in District 7A.
