JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va –
The Virginia Air National Guard’s 192nd Wing celebrated the opening of its first dedicated headquarters facility on the Hampton installation with a ribbon cutting ceremony on March 31, 2021.
Adjutant General of Virginia Maj. Gen. Timothy Williams officially opened the building alongside Virginia National Guard Senior Enlisted Leader Command Chief Master Sgt. James Profita and leaders from the 192nd Wing including Col. Christopher Batterton, 192nd Wing commander, Col. Catherine Jumper, 192nd Wing vice commander and Command Chief Master Sgt. Richard Roberts, 192nd Wing command chief.
In 2007, the VaANG transitioned from flying F-16 Vipers in Sandston to F-22 Raptors at JBLE, and Airmen completely integrated to form a single, cohesive team with their active duty counterparts from the 1st Fighter Wing and 633rd Air Base Wing. As a totally integrated force, the unit also shares more than 30 operational spaces with the active duty. The new headquarters will be the first on the base to be exclusively dedicated to the VaANG.
“This building here at Joint Base Langley-Eustis is an incredible step for rebranding our identity as guardsmen,” Batterton said. “We have now established new roots and are part of the community in the Hampton Roads area.”
Distinguished guests like U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott, Virginia Rep. David Reid, Director of the Virginia National Guard Joint Staff Brig. Gen. James Ring, and Military Liaison for Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, Charlotte Hurd, attended the ceremony and received a commander-guided tour immediately after.
The facility is a remodeled, repurposed former federal credit union expected to house the wing’s command staff and functions including the finance and judge advocate’s offices. Gaining the square footage also means the wing’s helping agencies can become more consolidated by moving into the now vacated space, co-located inside the 1st FW’s headquarters building. Rather than having to travel from one side of the base to the other for commander programs like Airmen and Family Readiness and chaplain services, Airmen will be able to access VaANG resources at a designated 192nd Wing area inside the 1st FW building.
While the wing plans to move into the new headquarters within the coming weeks, consolidating 192nd agencies and expanding its real estate is part of a long-term project to accommodate the wing’s growing mission sets — military construction for the 185th Cyber Operations Squadron facility is expected to be completed by 2022.
“This is just a small step in terms of where we’re going in the future,” Williams said. “What we’ve learned coming down from Richmond to Langley, we can never forget — we have to continue on.”