Airmen and F-35 Lightning II aircraft from the Vermont Air National Guard will depart for Austria in the early morning hours of Wednesday, Sept. 4, to participate in the Airpower Air Show and a multinational training exercise the following week. Austria is the Vermont National Guard’s third partner country through the State Partnership Program, which links state National Guards with a partner nation’s military, security forces, and disaster response organizations in a cooperative, mutually beneficial relationship.
“We recognize that an early departure can affect our community, and we are grateful for their patience and support. Our upcoming training will strengthen international ties and ultimately benefit our national security and global stability. Our connections through the State Partnership Program have proven instrumental in building strong, lasting relationships. Training alongside the Austrian Air Force not only improves tactical proficiency, advances interoperability and military cooperation, but also deepens mutual respect and reinforces shared objectives with our European Allies,” said U.S. Air Force Col. Michael Blair, 158th Operations Group Commander.
The Vermont Air National Guard is the aerial militia of the State of Vermont. It is a reserve of the United States Air Force and along with the Vermont Army National Guard an element of the Vermont National Guard of the larger United States National Guard Bureau. The 158th Fighter Wing is its sole unit. It is under the jurisdiction of the Governor of Vermont through the office of the Vermont Adjutant General unless they are federalized by order of the President of the United States. The Vermont Air National Guard is headquartered at Burlington Air National Guard Base.
As of 2019, the Vermont Air National Guard is the proud home of the 158th Fighter Wing, the first Air National Guard unit to base the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II. The Vermont Air National Guard has two main bases across the state, located in Burlington and Northfield. They perform three unique missions while training and preparing the citizen Airmen to respond to the governor of Vermont for state emergencies or the call of the president in times of crisis.
