Although two new F-35 squadrons have not yet landed at Luke
Air Force Base in Glendale, members of Arizona’s delegation in Washington, D.C.
are being assured the military base will receive the training squadrons as
promised.
This is great news to Jerry McCoy, a communications and
public relations professional in Phoenix, who helped lead efforts to bring the
Air Force’s new F-35 training mission to Luke AFB through the creation and
implementation of the Luke Forward campaign. It is also good news to the nearby
cities of Surprise, Buckeye, Goodyear and other communities near the base.
The community outreach and support campaign successfully led
the Air Force to select Luke as the “schoolhouse” for the military branch's new
F-35 fighter training program. Air Force officials announced that six F-35 squadrons
would be located at the Glendale base at the time the Air Force selected Luke
for the new training mission.
Matthew Donovan, the acting secretary of the Air Force, recently
affirmed the Air Force is still committed to locating all six F-35 training squadrons
at Luke AFB. The two F-35 squadrons are being delayed as the Air Force
continues to find locales to house the F-16 training squadrons departing Luke
AFB.
