The U.S. Air Force has modified its plans to relocate the 492nd Special Operations Wing to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona, the service announced Friday.
The 492nd, previously a training wing supporting Air Force Special Operations Command, is currently in the process of transitioning into a new role as a power projection wing, which will see it carry out a wide variety of special operations forces missions, including strike, surveillance, intelligence and SOF mobility.
While the plan to relocate the wing to Arizona was originally approved in 2023, the plan has since been “refined” to reflect current Defense Department goals regarding cost efficiency and mission priorities, according to a service release.
The new plan will see three additional units moved to the base as part of the 492nd, in addition to the four originally planned to transfer.
The four original units relocating to Arizona include 492nd Special Operations Wing Headquarters, the 492nd Special Operations Theater Air Operations Squadron, 319th Special Operations Squadron — all currently located in Florida — and the Air Combat Command Intelligence Squadron.
Joining them now will be the New Mexico-based 20th Special Operations Squadron and 20th Special Operations Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, as well as the 34th Special Operations Squadron, which is currently in Florida.
The relocation will take place following an environmental analysis, which will begin this fall, according to the Air Force.
Davis-Monthan Air Force Base currently supports six combatant commanders worldwide and was named the best base in the service in 2018.
The base is home to the 335th Wing, 12th Air Force, 55th Electronic Combat Group and 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group, in addition to the Air Force Reserve’s 943rd Rescue Group and the Arizona Air National Guard’s 214th Attack Group.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection also has a presence on base.
Zita Ballinger Fletcher previously served as editor of Military History Quarterly and Vietnam magazines and as the historian of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. She holds an M.A. with distinction in military history.
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