WASHINGTON ― Despite Michigan leaders breathing a sigh of relief when President Donald Trump promised to replace the A-10 squadron at Selfridge Air National Guard Base with F-15EX fighter jets, officials say several key steps are still needed to ensure the warplanes actually arrive at the Macomb County base in 2028.
The most crucial step is getting at least $2 billion in funding from Congress, as each F-15EX costs about $99 million. The Air Force typically conducts an environmental impact study. Selfridge's runway must be realigned. And construction is still in progress on a hangar and maintenance facilities to fit the larger, advanced aircraft.
The lack of environmental analysis, funding and other roll-out details stems from the unusual situation of Trump making the Selfridge decision himself, well after the Air Force had concluded the basing process for the F-15EX and told Michigan officials that Selfridge wouldn't get any of the jets.
"There's no doubt about it. The president went over the heads of the Air Force, and that's the value of being the Commander in Chief ― you can do that," said U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin, a Holly Democrat who served as a top Pentagon official and now sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee.
"But as you can imagine, the Air Force is scrambling to make the plan work. I believe that they will do it and do it in good faith, but we want to make sure that it happens the way we want it."
For instance, Trump in his announcement last week said the F-15EX fighters would be in addition to a new, expanded squadron of KC-46 tankers that the Air Force announced last year for Selfridge. Now, some "ankle biters" at the Pentagon are questioning why Selfridge should get both the KC-46 refueling aircraft and the F-15EXs, Slotkin said.
"We're going to be vigilant that the fighter mission is on top of the new refuelers that we managed to secure from the Biden administration ― not in substitute of those refuelers. So there's that kind of funny business ― most of it is at the staff level," said Slotkin, who met with state and local leaders at Selfridge on Monday.
"It's a lot of ankle biting and griping. But we feel confident that if we do our part here in the state, and we continue to push for resources at the federal level to support the mission, that it will happen. But it is definitely a welcome surprise that the president went on top of the Air Force to do this."
More: What to know about the F-15EX jets coming to Selfridge
The new fighter mission is intended to replace the aging A-10 Thunderbolt II squadron at Selfridge that is set to be retired starting next year. The divestment was expected to lead to job losses at the base located on Lake St. Clair northeast of Detroit.
"Today, I've come in person to lay to rest any doubts about Selfridge's future and the vital role it will play in our national defense," Trump told airmen, state officials and others inside a hangar at the base a week ago, saying the gesture should "save this place."
The Air Force anticipates flying F-15EXs for decades to come, providing Selfridge with longevity if it can maintain the mission.
The F-15EX would represent a significant shift in roles for the Air National Guard unit at Selfridge, whose primary mission in flying the A-10s has been close-air support for ground forces, said John Hoehn, an associate policy researcher focused on defense budgets at the Rand Corp.
The F-15EX is a multi-role fighter capable of air-to-air and air-to-ground missions.
"This means the F-15EX may be called upon for homeland defense, in addition to flying in support of troops on the ground," Hoehn said.
Funding decision rests with Congress
The Department of Defense's announcement said the F-15EX squadron at Selfridge is "additive" and "will not overturn" the decisions to send F-15EXs to three other states, leading Slotkin and Sen. Gary Peters, D- Bloomfield Township, to believe Congress needs to set aside money now to fund the procurement of additional fighters, they said.
That could be reflected in Trump's budget request later this month, or the funding could be folded into the massive budget bill that Republicans in Congress are crafting.
"If we're not taking fighters from another state and making it impossible for them to have fighters, then that means additive fighters, and we got to pay for that," Slotkin said.
Both Peters and U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar, a Caledonia Republican, who sit on their respective chambers' appropriations panels, said they'd push for funding for the additional F-15EXs.
"As the only member of the House Appropriations Committee from Michigan, Congressman Moolenaar fully supports the F-15EX mission for Selfridge and will support the appropriations provisions necessary to bring the squadron to Michigan," Moolenaar spokesman Jacob Huner said in a statement.
Peters said if Boeing follows the current production schedule ― which is to make a total of 98 F-15EXs for the U.S. fleet through 2028 ― and the aircraft for Selfridge are added onto that timeline, they could arrive starting in 2029.
"What I've been fighting for is more money for F-15s, because I figured our only chance of getting F-15s is if they actually build more, right?" said Peters, who also sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee. "And that's exactly what's happening now, right? They're saying they're willing to build more."
Peters said the work the Michigan delegation did for years to position Selfridge for a fighter mission, including $28 million he secured for the hangar project that's underway, helped to ensure the infrastructure was in place for just such an announcement.
Securing the money for the new F-15EXs will be an easier sell if Trump includes them in his budget request later this month, Peters added, saying it's something that he'll be on the lookout for.
The budget reconciliation bill that the House Armed Services Committee advanced last week includes about $3.15 billion for the procurement of F-15EXs, though it's not clear if that funding is intended to expedite the production of aircraft already in the pipeline or pay for additional planes.
Air & Space Forces Magazine reported that the money could pay for more than an additional F-15EX squadron and bring the F-15EX fleet up to about 125 airplanes.
Slotkin said she was glad to see it included in the committee's bill, but won't celebrate until the bill gets to the president's desk and is signed into law.
"I don't want to count my chickens before they're hatched," she said. "The reconciliation bill has to be managed between the House and the Senate, and Republicans are in the driver's seat on that."
A spokeswoman for the GOP-led House Armed Services Committee didn't respond to questions about the F-15EX line item.
Interstate jockeying for jets
Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel pointed out that the state has committed the money to pay for the runway project. He also doesn’t anticipate hurdles with the environmental impact study that the Air Force will likely conduct.
“Money is the bigger issue. The environmental study ― we’re certain that won’t be a concern,” Hackel said. “They’ve done that before, and they had no problem with it.”
Michigan officials have an incentive to realign the runway and make other preparations for the F-15EXs to ensure an on-time arrival at Selfridge. They worry that any significant gap between the retirement of the A-10s and the arrival of the F-15EXs could risk the loss of personnel.
To reduce the possibility of that gap, one official cited speculation that the Air Force could bump Selfridge up in line to get the F-15EX ahead of the California Air National Guard in Fresno, where the F-15EX is supposed to replace Fresno's aging F-15C/D Eagles.
Fresno was expecting to get the new fighters in 2027 or 2028 but could keep operating their F-15C/Ds until the F-15EXs arrive, the official said.
Hackel is more concerned about a scenario where a Republican-heavy congressional delegation objects or tries to block funding because they also want an advanced fighter to replace an aging mission at one of their local bases.
"Some other base saying, 'Hey, we would have liked to have had those, too. Why did they get them instead of us?'" Hackel said. "Rather than ― now Michigan is going to get them before us, and that wasn't the plan."
An Air Force spokesperson said it's still preparing implementation plans following Trump's directive, and "we don’t have anything further to offer at this time."
For its part, manufacturer Boeing expects the F-15EX production line in St. Louis will remain active well into the next decade, with the aircraft in operation through the 2050s and possibly longer, company spokeswoman Mary Ann Brett said.
"With increased international interest, Boeing plans to do concurrent production of jets for international and domestic customers, and we are increasing our production rate to meet this demand," Brett said.
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