Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro, North Carolina, is one of five U.S. military installations currently being assessed for the Air Force’s new Deployable Combat Wings model. If selected, the base could gain approximately 200 additional airmen and their families, enhancing its role in national defense.
The proposed Deployable Combat Wings are designed to be self-sustaining units capable of rapid mobilization. The model focuses on housing airmen in a single location to streamline training and deployment through the Air Force Force Generation cycle. The assessment is being led by the Air Force Installation & Mission Support Center, which is conducting site surveys to evaluate each location’s capacity to meet mission needs and identify any logistical constraints.
In addition to Seymour Johnson, surveys are being conducted at Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina, Little Rock Air Force Base in Arkansas, Moody Air Force Base in Georgia, and Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho.
Lt. Col. Hans Winkler, who heads the in-garrison operational requirements branch for AFIMSC, said these evaluations are vital to ensuring installations can handle the operational demands of the new combat wing structure.
U.S. Senator Ted Budd, R-N.C., expressed strong support for the potential expansion at Seymour Johnson, saying the base’s mission is increasingly critical. Located in a state with more than 615,000 veterans and tens of thousands of active-duty and reserve personnel, the base already plays a key role in national security efforts.
Seymour Johnson currently hosts several major units, including the 4th Fighter Wing and the 916th Air Refueling Wing. A successful assessment would further reinforce North Carolina’s strategic importance within the Department of Defense’s evolving operational framework.
