President Donald Trump’s surprise decision to base a squadron of F-15EX fighter jets at Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Michigan will strain the Air Force’s already overburdened F-15 training pipeline—potentially forcing the service to reevaluate its training standards or divert operational aircraft to training roles.
The new jets heading to Michigan will replace the base’s A-10 Warthogs. But converting those A-10 pilots to fly the F-15EX will require training beyond what F-15C/D pilots need—a requirement the Air Force had not planned for.
The service’s lack of F-15 training capacity was raised by Sen. Ted Budd, R-N.C., who said that Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in North Carolina, the future hub for all F-15 basic training, doesn’t have enough jets to fill demand—even before the Selfridge announcement.
“F-15 program flying training requirements will jump by greater than 50% in fiscal year 2027 and 2028 and currently the Air Force has no training-coded aircraft capacity to meet that requirement without reflow of combat-coded F-15Es,” Budd said on Capitol Hill last week, citing an earlier service press release. “The Air Force is being forced to examine drastically cutting the F-15 training syllabus to meet those requirements. This creates risks on both quality and basic course aircrew graduates and on combat forces that will receive air crew with potentially subpar combat airmanship skills.”
And, now that Selfridge is getting a F-15EX squadron, there is a “large unplanned increase in flying training” since Seymour Johnson will have to train Selfridge’s A-10 pilots, Budd said during a Senate Armed Services committee hearing on May 1.
Air Combat Command and the National Guard Bureau are “actively working to identify and implement solutions to address this anticipated shortfall” and are “exploring various options, such as modifying the syllabus, to ensure we can meet the growing demand for F-15EX pilot training while maintaining the high standards of training excellence expected of our aircrews,” an ACC spokesperson said.
As the Air Force works through training issues, Trump’s decision also could disrupt broader F-15EX basing plans. The service intends to send F-15EXs to California, Louisiana, and Oregon to replace their F-15C/Ds, and eventually to Kadena Air Base in Japan.
While the Selfridge basing decision has been described as “additive” to previous basing decisions, acting Air Force secretary Gary Ashworth acknowledged that the Selfridge decision will have a “downstream impact” on other Air National Guard units.
Ashworth said officials are still working through an updated plan—after Rep. David Valadao, R-Calif., voiced concerns about delays to F-15EX deliveries for Fresno Air National Guard Base.
“But as we go through that process, I commit to you to say that we’re going first of all reduce to the minimum amount of time that we possibly can what that delay in getting the EXs to Fresno would be, and then mitigate, that as well as we try to make sure that we’ve got you the best F-15C’s and D’s to continue the mission,” Ashworth said during a May 6 House appropriations defense subcommittee hearing.
The Air Force’s overall F-15EX plans remain in flux after lawmakers unveiled a $150 billion reconciliation bill that included $3.15 billion to increase F-15EX production beyond the service’s planned 98 aircraft buy. While some of those jets are likely headed to Michigan, the broader impact of the plus-up on the service’s F-15EX plans is still unclear.
The service declined to answer questions about the Selfridge decision and the reconciliation bill, pointing to the upcoming budget request.
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