Congressman Jimmy Patronis and Florida Senators Rick Scott and Ashley Moody sent a letter Wednesday to Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink requesting clarity on the Air Force’s decision to move the 492nd Special Operations Wing from Hurlburt Field and Duke Field to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona.
- “Given the Trump Administration’s increasing focus on Venezuela and the Caribbean, approximately doubling the response time for these Special Operations Forces assets and geographically isolating them from U.S. Special Operations Command, Joint Special Operations Command, and the other East Coast-based, SOF units seem contradictory to national security,” the letter states.
The lawmakers noted that the original decision was guided by the Biden administration’s 2022 National Defense Strategy, which required the military to “build resilience in the face of destabilizing and potentially catastrophic transboundary challenges such as climate change” and the Air Force’s Power Projection Wing concept.
“Considering the operational efficiencies, Northwest Florida’s proximity to Venezuela as well as the Caribbean, and the unique nature of the Eglin Gulf Test and Training Range, we question the basis for this decision, especially when the Air Force has not provided a list of what other bases were considered as part of its strategic basing action,” the letter states.
The Air Force’s Strategic Basing Instruction requires the survey upon which the decision is based to address the “impact of climate change on the proposed action.” Without access to requested documents, the lawmakers said they are unable to assess to what extent climate change influenced the Air Force’s final basing action announced in September 2025.
The letter poses several questions to the Air Force, including why the determination was made to continue the decision-making process that began during the Biden administration that appears to have expressly considered climate change and the Power Projection Wing concept the Air Force intends to abandon.
- “Wouldn’t it be more prudent to make a decision informed by the Trump Administration’s vision for the Air Force, especially in the context of the need to combat narco-terrorism, instead of one where climate change appears to have been an express factor?” the letter asks.
The lawmakers also requested information on what alternative bases were presented to the Air Force secretary, why the secretary chose to remove these units from Hurlburt and Duke fields, and the total cost of the decision, including new infrastructure requirements, moving expenses and other costs.
According to the letter, the initial plan was to construct nine new facilities encompassing 408,000 square feet, renovate 28 facilities totaling 585,000 square feet, and demolish two facilities totaling 14,000 square feet. However, as recently as July 2025, the Senate Committee on Appropriations stated the Air Force had not identified military construction requirements to support the standup of the new Power Projection Wing.
- “With the Trump Administration’s focus on efficiency, should a final decision be postponed until the Air Force has communicated these costs to Congress?” the letter asks.
The lawmakers also questioned the military rationale for moving units from a base under Air Force Special Operations Command’s control to one where the units will be “mere tenants,” asking whether the Air Force is concerned about coordination issues undermining lethality following the move.
“It is our job to represent our constituents, and we will always question decisions removing servicemen and women from Florida, the country’s most military friendly state,” the letter states. “Each of us, along with our constituents, has been left without a clear rationale on how this decision was made or how it would serve the military’s mission.”
The lawmakers requested a written response within 30 calendar days and several documents concerning the basing action, including the Air Force Form 813, Request for Environmental Impact Analysis, site surveys, documents provided to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees, and documents provided to the Secretary of the Air Force upon which the final decision was made.
The Department of the Air Force announced in September that Davis-Monthan Air Force Base was selected as the new location for the 492nd Special Operations Wing.
The relocation includes the headquarters, 492nd Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field; the 492nd Special Operations Theater Air Operations Squadron at Duke Field; and the 319th Special Operations Squadron at Hurlburt Field. The 34th Special Operations Squadron at Hurlburt Field, as well as the 20th Special Operations Squadron and 20th Special Operations Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico, are also identified as preferred units for relocation.
- The 492nd Special Operations Wing is currently transforming from a training wing into Air Force Special Operations Command’s fifth power projection wing capable of executing special operations forces strike, mobility, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions.
The Air Force will begin the required environmental analysis on proposed changes beginning fall 2025.
5 Responses
YAY! Move these people out of Okaloosa County; the base is too large. Let another state be overrun by military personnel. This area is oversaturated with military and owns way too much land which is why we have no road for the non-stop tourism traffic that has invaded our area. Arizona has plenty of unused land on which to house these installations. Move the EOD first!!!!
If you don’t like to military presence here YOU MOVE! Sounds like New York City or California would welcome you. Stop hiding behind LadyDi, let everyone know who you really are. Coward!
😁…………………..
Even if the USAF moved the entire Hurlburt Field contingent, families and Civilian Service employees, to Arizona, it wouldn’t put a dent in the traffic situation for our area.
And the land would still be owned by the military and would remain off the market, perhaps forever. It will never be available for civilian housing because of unexploded ordnance and chemical pollution of the soils in the areas used for targets and training.
Get rid of the EOD you say? Then who will safely detonate the unexploded ordnance that is found from time to time in our area from WWII?………
@LadyDi….Why did you move here if you don’t like the military or tourism industry? That is the heart and soul and economy of our community. Clearly you have never lived in a community that lost it’s military base. I moved here 34 years ago after my hometown lost it’s base in a BRAC realignment and I watched my community dry up, businesses close and the devastation it brought to my hometown. They are just now beginning to recover. The government is still paying for that move. Every home is provided with chemical masks and radios as they continue to burn off chemicals stored at that base. It was purely a political move without thought of costs and effects. I applaud Patronis for seeking answers to his questions and stopping the power grab under possible false pretenses.