BATTLE CREEK (WKZO-AM) — The Air National Guard base in Battle Creek will be hosting a new cyber operation squadron, helping the U.S. battle terrorists and hackers online.
There is already a pilot operation at the base, which will now be expanded.
There was a time when the base, located next to W.K. Kellogg Airport, hosted planes, and it’s still the home of the 110th Fighter Wing, though fighters haven’t been stationed at the base in years.
It now hosts a group of pilots who remotely operate drones overseas. The addition of a cyber security operation, once again, puts it on the cutting-edge.
Sen. Debbie Stabenow said the decision will mean 70 new jobs for Battle Creek. It was one of four bases awarded the new cyber security mission.
It’s no guarantee the Air National Guard Base in Battle Creek will survive the next round of base closings, but it gives the Pentagon another good argument for keeping it open.
“Given the dependence of our country’s military, infrastructure, and economy on computers and the Internet, this new cyber squadron puts Michigan at the forefront in protecting our nation,” Stabenow said.
Base officials plan a news conference Thursday to offer as many details as they can about the new mission.
– John McNeill
