Tyndall AFB Post-Hurricane Update
The Air Force’s 822nd Base Defense Squadron, stationed at Moody AFB (Valdosta, GA), was immediately dispatched to Tyndall AFB to provide security for the base that was so badly, seemingly almost completely, damaged, following the recent hurricane. The Squadron’s primary mission, at this point, is to guard access to Tyndall, allowing only those authorized to gain admittance.
This is an unusual mission for the 822nd. Usually they are sent to distant overseas locations, with little notice, to provide installation security and to defend it from outsiders, if needed. Their trip to Tyndall was much less stressful. Just a 3 ½-hour bus trip from Moody. But the actual devastation at Tyndall, once on site, was far greater than these Airmen had expected.
Tyndall’s 601st Air Defense Operations Center was relocated to Langley AFB (Virginia) following the damaging storm. It is projected that the Air Operations team will remain at Langley until at least the start of 2019, before returning to Tyndall.
However, it appears that no final decision has yet been made by the Air Force Secretary as to whether the F-22’s will return to Tyndall. That would be a major change and mission loss for Tyndall, which has previously served as the principal Air Force center for F-22 pilot training.
(822nd assignment via Air Force Magazine.com, Kelly Walker, 11-5-2018; Air Operations move via DoDBuzz.com, Oriana Pawlyk, 11-7-2018)