ROA welcomes the April 20, 2026, announcement by Secretary of the Air Force Troy E. Meink that the A-10 “Warthog” will remain in service through 2030 — a decision that preserves the reserve A-10 squadron at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, home of the 442nd Fighter Wing. The announcement follows a year-long ROA-led advocacy campaign launched after the Association’s Board of Directors passed a time-sensitive resolution in April 2025, during the previous NDAA and appropriations cycle, calling for the Wing’s preservation.
“This is a tremendous outcome for the men and women of the 442nd Fighter Wing, for Whiteman Air Force Base, and for the Total Force. ROA thanks President Trump, Secretary Hegseth, and Secretary Meink for this decisive action, and we recognize the leadership of Senator Eric Schmitt, who fought alongside us throughout this campaign. Operation Epic Fury has made undeniable what ROA has long argued: the A-10 is operationally irreplaceable, and so are the experienced Reserve aviators who fly it,” said ROA CEO Maj. Gen. John B. Hashem, U.S. Army (Ret.).
Over the year that followed, ROA placed itself at the tip of the spear of the campaign to preserve the Wing’s mission, personnel, and combat capability. The effort included letters to the President and Secretary of War and direct engagement with the White House, the Pentagon, the Air Force Reserve, and Congress, led in close collaboration among ROA’s Department of Missouri, Air Force Service Section, and national staff.
Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Don Stockton of ROA’s Department of Missouri, Matthew Schwartzman, ROA’s Director of Legislation and Military Policy, and retired Air Force Lt. Col. Susan Lukas, ROA’s former Air Force Service Section Vice President, met with the staff of Senator Eric Schmitt and worked closely with the Senator’s office to shape the favorable A-10 language ultimately included in the FY 2026 National Defense Authorization Act — signed into law by President Trump — which required the Air Force to maintain a minimum A-10 inventory, hold personnel and weapons-system sustainment funding through September 30, 2026, absent congressional authorization, and submit a recapitalization plan to Congress.
While the April 20 extension secures the 442nd’s flying mission through 2030, ROA continues to press for full Operations and Maintenance funding and a formally assigned follow-on mission and platform to retain the experienced Reserve aviators whose institutional capability cannot be regenerated once lost.