Tag Archive for: Minnesota National Guard

F-35 Modernization and the Future of the 148th Fighter Wing

F-35 Modernization and the Future of the 148th Fighter Wing

On this week’s episode of Minnesota Military Radio, we meet leaders from the Minnesota National Guard and Minnesota Air National Guard to explore the 148th Fighter Wing’s mission and the case for F-35 modernization in Duluth. The conversation covers the wing’s current F-16 operations, the Air Force selection process, preparations for a potential transition, and the essential role of community support in shaping the wing’s future.

Guests:

The 148th Fighter Wing, based at the Duluth Air National Guard Base, currently flies the Block 50 F-16, the newest and most capable F-16 in the Air Force inventory. Its primary federal mission is Suppression of Enemy Air Defense (SEAD), locating and neutralizing enemy surface-to-air threats so other forces can operate freely. The wing also supports state missions and has maintained high readiness and manning levels for decades, with Airmen drawn from the local community.

Guests discuss why the Minnesota National Guard is pursuing F-35 basing now, even though aircraft would not arrive until approximately 2034. The Air Force is selecting two squadrons from nine F-16 Air National Guard units; four candidate bases are expected to be identified by the end of 2026, followed by site visits, a longer environmental impact statement process, and a final decision. The wing’s leadership highlights strengths that include unmatched training airspace, consistently high manning, top-tier maintenance, and a proven operational record. COL Statz brings direct experience from Wisconsin’s 115th Fighter Wing F-35 transition, including lessons on community engagement, infrastructure, and the conversion process.

Community and political support are described as decisive. The Duluth Military Affairs Committee, part of the Duluth Area Chamber of Commerce and originally formed about 20 years ago when the base faced potential closure, has coordinated letters and resolutions from local governments, businesses, and civic organizations. The wing generates roughly $107 million in annual economic activity for the region, employs more than 1,000 military and civilian personnel, and operates the airport’s fire department. Minnesota has already invested $3.5 million in state bonding for design and infrastructure work to position the base for the future.

A successful F-35 mission would allow the 148th to continue its SEAD role with modernized aircraft while preserving the wing’s economic and community contributions for the next generation. Leaders emphasize that continued community advocacy and a unified message remain important as the selection process moves forward.

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Previewing the Official State of Minnesota Veterans Day Celebration in Duluth

Previewing the Official State of Minnesota Veterans Day Celebration in Duluth

On this week’s episode of Minnesota Military Radio, we preview the official State of Minnesota Veterans Day Celebration taking place Wednesday, November 11 in Duluth, hosted by the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs (MDVA). The conversation covers event details, community partnerships, tribal Veteran services, County Veterans Service Office support in northern Minnesota, and the message from this year’s keynote speaker.

Guests:

MDVA is rotating the state’s official Veterans Day observance outside the Twin Cities for the second year to meet Veterans where they live. After last year’s program in Mankato, this year’s free, open-to-all event (no RSVP required) is at the Duluth National Guard Training and Community Center on Airpark Boulevard. Doors open at 8:30 a.m. for a free community breakfast; the official program begins at 10 a.m. A live stream will be available at MinnesotaVeteran.org/events, with video on demand afterward. Overflow parking and shuttle service are available from Arrowpointe Medical Center.

Partners include the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa (bringing the drum and joining the Duluth Honor Guard for presentation of colors), the University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldog Marching Band, St. Louis County and neighboring county Veterans Service offices, the Duluth Veterans Memorial Hall, and the Lake Superior County Veterans Club. Elected officials, including the mayor of Duluth, are also scheduled to take part.

The Fond du Lac Band shares how its Tribal Veterans Service Officer connects band members and surrounding-community Veterans with earned benefits and notes a concurrent free evening gathering at Black Bear Casino open to the broader community. The St. Louis County Veterans Service Office describes its free, confidential role helping Veterans, service members, and families with VA claims, appeals, survivor benefits, and community resources across offices in Hibbing, Virginia, Ely, and Duluth. Callers are reminded it is never too late to file claims; the office can be reached at (218) 725-5285.

This year’s keynote speaker, a Major in the Minnesota Air National Guard and Chair of Nursing at The College of St. Scholastica, discusses how military medical service and civilian nursing careers inform one another, the College’s support for Veterans transitioning into healthcare careers, and the message that military service is an important part of a Veteran’s identity but does not define what they can continue to contribute through leadership and community engagement.

Listeners can find full event details and the live stream portal at MinnesotaVeteran.org/events.

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Every Third Saturday and BTYR Hero Meals

Every Third Saturday and Beyond the Yellow Ribbon

On this week’s episode of Minnesota Military Radio, we explore how Every Third Saturday helps Veterans and their families find hope, purpose, and community after military service, then highlight Beyond the Yellow Ribbon’s Hero Meals program and the partnerships providing year-round food support to Minnesota’s service members, Veterans, and military families.

Guests:

Tom McKenna, a Marine Corps Veteran, shares how Every Third Saturday began in 2009 with simple distributions of clothing and personal items and has grown into a permanent facility near the Minneapolis VA Medical Center. The organization focuses on dignity and respect—Veterans are treated as members, not clients. Inside the building is Rick’s Coffee Bar, which runs a paid Veteran internship program. McKenna also discusses the Walk to Stay in the Fight and the new Fire Teams initiative for proactive support. Anyone can connect by calling (952) 356-5116, visiting everythirdsaturday.org, or walking in.

Later, Stefanie Hurt explains Beyond the Yellow Ribbon’s Hero Meals initiative, which partners with Meals From the Heart and others to deliver seasonal meal kits through Operation Turkey Drop, Operation Merry Meals, Sweetheart Meals, and Food Fairy. In the 2025 holiday season and spring 2026, the program distributed 900 meal kits totaling about 81,000 individual servings and supported nearly 5,000 service members, Veterans, and family members across Minnesota. Listeners can contribute at mealsfromtheheart.org.

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Air Force Warrant Officers and DAV United in Service

Air Force Warrant Officers and DAV United in Service

On this week’s episode of Minnesota Military Radio, we look at the return of warrant officers to the Air Force and what that means for the Minnesota National Guard, then turn to a statewide tribute and claims effort from Disabled American Veterans of Minnesota.

Guests:

Across the first three segments, Chief Homme and Chief Volkmeier explain why the Air Force brought warrant officers back after ending the rank in 1959: to keep technical experts in place, beginning in cyber, and to steady sections that otherwise lose knowledge each time leaders rotate. Chief Volkmeier, recognized as Minnesota’s first Air Force warrant officer since the program returned, describes the path from enlisted network technician to Chief Warrant Officer 2 — ten years on active duty, service in the 210th Engineering Installation Squadron, an application encouraged by peers, and eight weeks of warrant officer training at Maxwell Air Force Base. Day to day, the work has shifted from pulling cable to project engineering: setting up jobs, ordering materials, and giving a commander technical options. The conversation also covers who the Air Guard looks for in applicants, the difference between enlisted, warrant, and commissioned responsibilities, and the misconceptions that a warrant officer is only a technician, or is rarely around. Both guests talk about growing the cohort so more warrant officers can be placed where they are needed, including the possibility of a future position with the 148th Fighter Wing in Duluth. Chief Homme, in his final months as the state’s senior warrant officer advisor, compares the new Air track with the Army warrant officer program and reflects on a career that began in 1986 and closes with his last day in uniform on November 30.

Later in the show, Adjutant Stephen “Butch” Whitehead and Angel Fields Mitchell preview United in Service, a traveling exhibit created by Disabled American Veterans of Minnesota. This year’s theme is that every Veteran has a story. From October 15–18, the experience is at the North End Event Center on the Minnesota State Fairgrounds, with more than 12,000 square feet indoors, military vehicles outside, a Tribute Garden of personalized tags, and the recorded stories of 13 Veterans spanning 250 years of military history. Visitors can hear those stories in a theater or by QR code, and families who want a story captured for a future stop are encouraged to find a volunteer on site. On Friday, October 16, and Saturday, October 17, 9 am – 4 pm, a Rapid Claims Clinic brings Department of Veterans Affairs staff, DAV accredited service officers, and County Veterans Service Officers together so Veterans can file a new claim or revisit an older one. A decision may not be issued that day, but the clinic is built to move a packet as far as possible, with a dedicated team at the Federal Building at Fort Snelling continuing the work. A job and resource fair and state-benefit tables run alongside the clinic. Admission is free. Register for a claims appointment at unitedinservicemn.org or davmn.org.

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Military Appreciation Day Live: Guard and MDVA at the State Fair

Military Appreciation Day Live: Guard and MDVA at the State Fair

On this week’s episode of Minnesota Military Radio, we air the second of two special shows recorded live from Dan Patch Park on Military Appreciation Day at the Minnesota State Fair. This conversation highlights Minnesota’s commitment to Veterans, the dual mission of the Minnesota National Guard, progress at the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs (MDVA), and modernization across the Minnesota Air National Guard.

Guests:

During the show, the Governor looks back on treating Veteran issues first in the state budget through the Veterans omnibus bill, with broad legislative support year after year. That approach has helped Minnesota keep Veteran homelessness among the lowest in the nation, open more State Veterans Homes than any other state, and sustain nationally recognized State Veterans Cemeteries. Care for those who served is framed as keeping faith with people willing to do the hardest things — and as work that should stay out of political debate. He also speaks to Veteran suicide prevention and the danger of assuming someone is “fine,” including the lesson of Clay Hunt and the need for families, friends, and fellow service members to point people toward help.

We also take a closer look at the Minnesota National Guard on a day themed “Your Neighbors, Our Community.” Service members are teachers, coaches, and neighbors who live here, work here, and serve here. Soldiers and Airmen are deployed around the world and recently supported wildfire response in northeastern Minnesota and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. The force remains strong at about 107 percent on the Army side and about 104 percent on the Air side. Modernization is tied to readiness, including C-130J aircraft expected next summer at Minneapolis–Saint Paul and a continued effort to position the 148th Fighter Wing for F-35 fighters. Leaders invite the next generation to join a team that offers education benefits, state and federal missions, and the chance to serve close to home.

Commissioner Brad Lindsay of MDVA reports the three newest State Veterans Homes hit a 70 percent census goal by July 1 and are now aiming for 90 percent by year’s end so Veterans on the waiting list can receive care. Beginning January 1, National Guard and Reserve members who did not previously qualify may be buried in Minnesota’s state cemeteries if they choose, a change expected to matter especially near Camp Ripley in Little Falls. After the federal process to declare functional zero for Veteran homelessness ended, MDVA is working with the Minnesota Interagency Council on Homelessness so Ramsey County can still be recognized for meeting the criteria. The department has also staffed community health navigators and is executing a statewide Veteran suicide prevention plan. Veterans and families can start with LinkVet at 1-888-LinkVet or LinkVet.org.

In the final segment, Minnesota Air National Guard leaders connect new aircraft to homeland defense, federal missions, and Minnesota’s partnerships with Norway and Croatia. As C-130J aircraft arrive, some career fields will shift into maintenance, the loadmaster field, or retirement under a plan already being shared with the formation. Looking ahead, they point to cyber capabilities and air-based air defense as missions the Air National Guard must stay in. The through line is the citizen Airman: a neighbor most of the week, in uniform when called, serving 100 percent of the time.

Through collaboration among the Governor’s office, the Minnesota National Guard, MDVA, and the Minnesota Air National Guard, Minnesota continues to treat care for Veterans as shared work — visible on Military Appreciation Day and carried out year-round across the state.

Next week we’re back in the studio to visit with the director of the Twin Cities Vet Center and learn how Vet Centers fit into the Department of Veterans Affairs and take care of those who have served.

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