SEPTEMBER 10, 2024 – Airmen, families and members of Congress gathered inside Hangar 254 Sept. 8 to honor more than 180 Airmen who will deploy to support U.S. Central Command this fall.
It will be the U.S. Air Force’s first operational deployment of the KC-46A Pegasus refueler to a combatant command. It will be led by the New Hampshire National Guard’s 157th Air Refueling Wing, with support from the active duty’s 64th Air Refueling Squadron.
While overseas, the aircrew, maintainers and other support elements will leverage the Air Force’s next-generation aerial refueler to support CENTCOM’s mission to deter Iran, counter violent extremist organizations, and compete strategically with global powers.
Among those attending the ceremony to recognize and address the deploying Airmen were New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, Sens. Jeane Shaheen and Maggie Hassan, and Maj. Gen. David Mikolaities, the adjutant general of the New Hampshire National Guard.
Mikolaities recounted a recent trip to Washington to discuss the nation’s threats. He said military leaders agree there is a need to bring the future faster.
“There’s no wing in the nation that has brought the future faster than the 157th Air Refueling Wing,” he said to the more than 600 attendees.
Some of the accomplishments he noted were the wing’s concurrent fielding of the KC-46 alongside the active-duty Air Force; being the first to reach initial operational capability and bring the airframe online; the first to conduct a 36-hour super-sortie to Guam and back; and now, the first to serve a fully operational deployment in support of a combatant command.
Aerial refueling — enabling global reach, mobility and power, anytime, anywhere — is the core mission at the 157th ARW. Over the past decade, the wing transitioned from legacy KC-135 jets to the Air Force’s next-generation tanker, KC-46. Of the 87 KC-46As at wings across the force, 12 are at Pease.
“This would not be possible without the exceptional Airmen we have here today,” he said.
Sununu thanked the deployers for taking on the responsibility and sacrifice of military service.
“Embrace the adventure and come home safe. We’ll be here waiting for you,” said Sununu.
Col. Nelson Perron, the 157th Air Refueling Wing commander, and Chief Master Sgt. Kevin Reiter, the wing command chief, celebrated the years of preparation that brought the wing to the forefront of the KC-46 community.
“This is why you wear this uniform,” said Perron. “You will provide global reach and mobility to what has been called the most volatile security situation of the past half-century. Fly high, stay safe, and always remember you are the finest of our nation’s Airmen.”
Senior Airman Abby Stroup, a 157th Air Refueling Wing KC-46 boom operator, said the deployment will be her first since joining the Air National Guard three years ago. Her sister is a 157th ARW Defender, her father is serving at the National Guard Bureau in Washington, and her mother recently retired from the Maine Air National Guard. All have deployed at various times over her life.
“It’s the first time I’ll be away for the major holidays,” said Stroup. “My parents have, but now I’ll see the opposite side and learn how to stay in touch while I’m over there.”
Despite knowing she’ll miss the upcoming season with friends and family, she looks forward to practicing her craft in an operational role and keeping the crews flying.
“I’m ready to go and I’m super excited,” she said.
157th ARW KC-46 pilot Lt. Col. James Lux will serve as the deployed commander. He said the deployment is a testament to the hard work the team at Pease has put in over the past five years.
“Everything we’ve done was to prepare for this,” he said.
By Senior Master Sgt. Timothy Huffman
157th Air Refueling Wing