ALPENA, Mich. – After meeting with community leaders and citizens thorough our initial outreach efforts, planners from the Michigan Air National Guard have listened to stake holder’s inputs.
As a result, the Michigan Air National Guard is modifying the request and will move forward with three Military Operating Areas (MOAs) the Grayling West (500-17,999 feet flight elevation), the Grayling East (6,000-17,999 feet flight elevation) and the Steelhead Low.
The Michigan National Guard needs this proposed airspace to train for current and future military missions. But as good stewards of the airspace, we are pursuing additional modifications to the proposal to allow us to train our aviators while meeting the needs of the community. The Michigan Air National Guard is moving forward with this modified Aeronautical Proposal to the Federal Aviation Administration and an Environmental Assessment regarding the impact of these changes to the public.
Due to Federal Aviation Administration concerns with concurrent use, safety of flight and airspace de-confliction issues, we will not be pursuing the previously discussed Grayling East Low MOA and the Pike Low MOA at this time.
After direct discussions with community members from Huron and Otsego County, we have adjusted the structure of the proposed Military Operating Areas to minimize impact on the people that live in the area and maximize concurrent use of the airspace for military, commercial and general aviation users.
Michigan Air National Guard Col. John Miner, Alpena CRTC commander, reiterates that the airspace proposal has big-picture implications toward ensuring the readiness of U.S. military personnel to defeat threats in a challenging global security environment.
“Over the past 50 years, technology has drastically changed what the training of lethal warfighters looks like, but the ability to build a credible deterrent force is still what matters,” said Miner. “Very few areas exist nationwide where this quality of training can take place.”
“For us, we live to train – our mission is developing lethal warfighters – but we also want to maintain the incredible relationships we have with our communities, civil authorities, and the airports we work with,” said Miner.
The airspace proposal will be available for the 45-day public comment phase, along with the environmental assessment, within the next several months. Details will be made available in future media releases, Alpena CRTC’s website, https://www.alpenacrtc.ang.af.mil/, and other public venues.
Community leaders seeking to arrange a meeting should contact the Michigan National Guard Public Affairs Office at 517-481-7734/7731/7735/7733. Information regarding the smaller, temporary MOA proposal can be accessed currently at the Alpena CRTC website.