Air Guard director briefs Airmen, tours 123rd Airlift Wing

  • Published
  • By Dale Greer
  • 123rd Airlift Wing Public Affairs
LOUISVILLE, Ky. --  Lt. Gen. L. Scott Rice, director of the Air National Guard, met with Airmen from the 123rd Airlift Wing and toured the Kentucky Air National Guard Base during a visit here Saturday.

Rice held a town hall meeting to answer questions and discuss issues currently affecting the Air Guard, including C-130 aircraft modernization, expansion of the Active Guard and Reserve program, and potential drawdowns in the medical service corps.

Rice also visited numerous duty sections to learn more about the wing’s unique mission sets. In addition to providing tactical C-130 airlift and aircraft maintenance, the wing is home to the only contingency response group in the Air National Guard; a special tactics squadron with combat control, pararescue and special reconnaissance Airmen; two Critical Care Air Transport Teams; an Explosive Ordnance Disposal flight; a fatality search and recovery team; and a Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and high-yield Explosive Enhanced Response Force Package.

A full third of the wing was deployed around the world in 2018, supporting combat operations from multiple theaters. The wing also has been heavily engaged in disaster response, deploying nearly 200 personnel for hurricane rescue and recovery operations in Texas, Florida and the Caribbean in 2017 and 2018.