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General Healy holds town hall, signs F-35 bulkhead during visit to NAS JRB Fort Worth

  • Published
  • By Ms Nije Hightower, 301st Fighter Wing Public Affairs and HQ AFRC/PA
NAS JRB FORT WORTH, TEXAS --  

Lt. Gen. John P. Healy, Chief of the Air Force Reserve and Air Force Reserve Command Commander, and Chief Master Sgt. Israel Nuñez, Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chief of the Air Force Reserve, visited Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas, April 2-3.

Their itinerary included a bulkhead signing ceremony for the F-35A Lightning II at Lockheed Martin's Fort Worth plant and a tour of10th Air Force and the 301st Fighter Wing.

The visit began with a tour of 10th Air Force, followed by a town hall led by the AFRC Commander, attended by personnel from the 10 AF, 301 FW, and the 24th Fighter Squadron, the active associate unit.

During the town hall, Healy and Nuñez addressed topics such as Recruiting and Retention incentives, Air Reserve Technician program changes, Force Development, and the Great Power Competition.

After, Col. Benjamin Harrison, 301st FW commander, guided AFRC leadership on a tour of the wing. This tour included the recognition of several Airmen for their exceptional achievements and the 301st FW Program Integration Office showcasing construction progress on the flight line and facilities in preparation for the F-35.

In 2021, the wing was selected to become the AFRC’s first stand-alone F-35 wing responsible for owning, maintaining, and operating the F-35A mission. To mark this milestone, Healy, Brig. Gen. Regina Sabric,10AF commander, and Harrison, alongside Congresswoman Kay Granger and Congressman Marc Veasey, attended a bulkhead signing ceremony on the second day of the visit.

“To actually see… and touch and sign that first delivery that’s going to be coming to us later on this summer couldn’t be more exciting,” said Healy.

The 301 FW is the second AFRC unit to be equipped with the F-35. The first was the 419th Fighter Wing at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. The 419th partners as a F-35 associate unit with the active-duty 388th Fighter Wing at Hill AFB.

“We’ve been in the F-35 for a long time with test and training and other operation flying,” Sabric said. “But getting Reserve-specific jets is a big step for the Air Force Reserve right now and. for the Air Force in general.

The wing is anticipated to receive its initial aircraft later in 2024 and will ultimately acquire 26 F-35s.