475th Fighter Squadron to conduct two-week training over Breckenridge

The communities of Breckenridge, Mineral Wells and Possum Kingdom Lake may look to the skies and see heightened military air traffic starting next week, as the USAFR’s 301st Fighter Wing’s 475th Fighter Squadron begins training exercises in the area.

According to an email and press release from U.S. Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, the F-16 Fighting Falcons training will last two weeks, beginning Monday, Aug. 10 and ending Friday, Aug. 20.

“We wanted to notify your city and residents of the increased presence of our military aircraft within your skies,” the email stated. “The presence is due to training and ensuring we remain a combat-ready force.”

According to the base’s website, the F-16 Fighting Falcon is a compact, multi-role fighter aircraft, used by the United States and its allies.
Having taken its first flight in 1976, the F-16 has been involved in multiple U.S. military operations. U.S. Air Force F-16 multirole fighters were deployed to the Persian Gulf in 1991 in support of Operation Desert Storm and were used to attack airfields, military production facilities, Scud missiles sites and a variety of other targets. Since Sept. 11, 2001, the F-16 has been a major component of the combat forces, in support of operations Noble Eagle (Homeland Defense), Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Iraqi Freedom.

NAS JRB Fort Worth is home to the 301 FW, which is the largest tenant unit, with approximately 2,200 Air Force reservists and civilian personnel. It is the only Air Force Reserve Command F-16 unit in Texas, according to their website.

“NAS JRB Fort Worth was officially established on October 1, 1994, as the first joint service reserve base. The 1,805-acre base is the result of the (Department of Defense)’s 1993 (Base Realignment and Closure) recommendation to relocate NAS Dallas and its tenant commands to the former Carswell ARB,” the website states. “Additional tenant commands from other closing installations were also directed to relocate to NAS JRB Fort Worth, such as U.S. Marine Corps Reserve squadrons from Memphis, Tenn., and Glenview, Ill., in July/August 1994. The 1993 BRAC proceedings also placed the Navy as the host of what has become a new joint military reserve base - a model for future consolidations.”