Maryland Loses Bid for D.C. Fighter Jets, White House Says

Maryland will not receive the D.C. Air National Guard's F-16 fighter jets, ending a long-fought campaign by state leaders to preserve a flying mission for the Maryland Air National Guard, a White House official confirmed Friday, The Washington Post reported.

The White House has scrapped plans to relocate the D.C. Air National Guard's elite F-16 fighter jet squadron to Maryland, dashing hopes that the state would secure a new flying mission tied to a high-stakes political deal involving Washington's RFK Stadium.

"The F-16s will stay with the DC ANG," a White House official said in a statement to The Washington Post. "The Trump Administration will continue to prioritize readiness and Warfighting to achieve Peace through Strength for the United States."

Maryland had pushed aggressively to acquire the jets, with backing from its congressional delegation and Democrat Gov. Wes Moore, who aimed to replace the state's aging A-10 Thunderbolt II jets set to be decommissioned later this year. Maryland will become the only state without a flying unit in its Air National Guard without a replacement mission.

The shift follows significant political turnover.

Former Sen. Ben Cardin D-Md., a leading advocate for the transfer, has since retired. President Joe Biden left office, and President Donald Trump now oversees the D.C. National Guard.

Earlier this month, Maryland's congressional delegation sent a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, urging him to halt the decommissioning of the A-10s.

"The previous Administration failed to provide for a follow-on flying mission for the Maryland Air National Guard (MDANG) to support our national needs and did not finalize the establishment of a more robust cyber wing," the lawmakers wrote. The letter, signed by all state delegation members, including Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., chair of the House Freedom Caucus, asked for urgent intervention.

Though Moore's office declined to comment directly on the decision to keep the F-16s in D.C., a spokesperson said the administration is working "to have a long-term flying mission for the Maryland Air National Guard — in addition to the work the State of Maryland is undertaking for the creation of a cyber wing."

Maryland's pursuit of the jets became entangled in late 2023 negotiations over legislation granting D.C. control of the federally owned RFK Stadium site. In exchange for Maryland dropping objections to the RFK bill, then Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall reportedly assured lawmakers the fighter jets would be transferred.

Seventeen retired D.C. generals raised national security concerns, noting Maryland pilots were not certified to fly F-16s and citing potential readiness gaps in one of the nation's most strategic airspaces.

"It's a small victory for D.C. National Guard," said retired Maj. Gen. George M. Degnon, a letter signatory. "But it's a loss for the Air Force at large that they're not recapitalizing these units going away."

Brig. Gen. Ed Jones, former Maryland Air National Guard commander, said the loss threatens hundreds of jobs: "All that experience … it just goes away."

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