Holloman F-22 squadron staying put till 2014

An F-22 squadron slated to move from New Mexico to Florida early this year will stay put until early 2014.

The transfer from Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., to Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., involves 620 active-duty and 230 Reserve airmen, and 21 F-22s and seven T-38 Talons. As a part of the shuffle, Holloman, in spring 2014, will receive two F-16 squadrons with 950 personnel authorizations from Luke Air Force Base, Ariz. Luke will eventually host three F-35A squadrons.

Personnel assignments will be timed with the transfer of aircraft “to the extent possible,” according to Air Combat Command. Airmen and families scheduled to leave Holloman before Dec. 2013 will be able to stay and support the F-22 mission until 2014.

Almost 200 airmen arrived to Tyndall between August and December 2012 and have been assigned to maintenance backshops that are transitioning from contractor to military manning.

Budget negotiations in Congress delayed the F-22 squadron’s move to Tyndall. Congress has yet to pass a 2013 budget, leaving the federal government operating on a continuing resolution that prohibits new projects and any increases in spending over 2012.

The passage of the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act relieved the Air Force of those restrictions, but with aircraft transfers already on hold, the delay “allows the approved actions to be synchronized in a way that minimizes disruption to airmen and their families while optimizing combat capabilities and continuity in training,” according to a statement from Air Combat Command.