In a letter to both House and Senate Armed Services Committee leaders, former commanders told congressional leaders to halt the planned reassignment of the F-16 squadron. The trade was part of a deal between Washington, D.C., and Maryland in order for the district to take over the deserted RFK Stadium grounds. 

The leaders argued the deal would pose a national security threat if the district were left without the 121st Fighter Squadron.

“Though it could be seen as a small, inconsequential transfer of military assets, the differences between the two organizations and missions cannot be overstated,” says the letter obtained by Politico.

The letter says D.C. Air National Guard F-16s have been used 7,690 times since the 9/11 attacks to assist other entities in the name of national security. 

“The recent terrorist attack in New Orleans should serve as a timely reminder that people are still determined to do us harm, and for many of them, the District of Columbia is their #1 target,” said the commanders. “We need the most experienced and proficient professionals performing this mission.”

The former commanders also argued that D.C. National Guard leadership is “critically dependent” on all district air personnel, even for ground duties in Washington in times of national emergency, with examples being setting up COVID-19 testing operations in tandem with D.C. public health, responding in defense of the Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot, and securing Capitol grounds for President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration. They argued taking away this F-16 would “place a severe strain” on ground operations.

The commanders also said they were “concerned” about how the decision to transfer the F-16 was “rendered.”

“There are time-tested processes for moving military manpower, equipment, aircraft, and missions. These processes ensure a multitude of critical factors are taken into consideration; training availability, costsbenefit analysis, equipment availability, unit conversion timelines, overseas deployment rotations, and legal appropriateness to name a few,” they wrote.

“Was the proper oversight followed?” they asked.

The transfer of the F-16 was a bargaining chip in Congress to give the district control of the land to redevelop the RFK Stadium site in a move that could pave the way for the Washington Commanders to return to the city from Maryland. Maryland lawmakers pursued the transfer in exchange for allowing legislation to move forward that would give the district control of the stadium land.