Wyatt visits classic association at Fairchild

By Air Force Maj. Sandy Smock
Washington National Guard

(2/1/10) -- Air Force Lt. Gen. Harry Wyatt III, the director of the Air National Guard, spent the day with Air Mobility Command leaders here today to observe the progress of the association between an Air Guard and active duty air refueling wing.

As part of total force integration in 2007, the Washington Air National Guard's 141st ARW and the active duty Air Force's 92nd ARW were the first Guard and active duty tanker units to stand up as a classic association. Both units now accomplish the KC-135 Stratotanker air refueling mission together.

Without an exact blueprint of this new joint mission, each day both units are faced with new challenges and have been tested in communication within the different groups.

The 141st and 92nd have worked together to develop new and more efficient processes through total force integration while sharing deployment requirements and successfully fulfilling daily operational missions.

“Integration at all levels facilitates the integration with this unit … as it will across all of the other associations,” said Wyatt.

The majority of Wyatt's time was spent in the maintenance hangars and presentations were given from commanders on the latest benefits from now collocated offices.

Even with all the building and personnel moves, working together is not a new concept for the 141st ARW and 92nd ARW. Both groups have deployed and completed missions together in the past, now they just do it under a new name of total force integration.