Selfridge is getting new fighter jets. Will the base be ready?

WASHINGTON — When President Donald Trump announced in April that Michigan’s Selfridge Air National Guard Base would receive a fleet of new fighter jets, state officials welcomed the move as a critical step to shore up the base’s future. 

But now, Trump’s intervention in the basing process has created what appears to be an unforeseen problem, one often ameliorated by the closely choreographed, years-long planning typical for selecting a home for new aircraft: Selfridge was not previously expected to host a fighter fleet after the retirement of the A-10 Warthog and needs some costly upgrades to support 21 F-15EX Eagle IIs expected to begin arriving in 2028.

It’s a project that’s garnered the attention and concern of a lawmaker from Selfridge’s district, who has urged the Air Force to move “swiftly” to ensure the “timely and successful arrival of the F-15EX at Selfridge.”

In a letter to Air Force Secretary Troy Meink earlier this month, Rep. John James noted that a runway “extension” for Selfridge alongside “related infrastructure upgrades” are “necessary to host the F-15EX fleet” and said his office stood by ready to assist. The Republican also asked the Air Force for a “detailed plan” as to how it expected to get funding for such changes, noting the issue “must be resolved to fully support the next-generation fighter mission prior to the accelerated A-10 retirement by the end of Fiscal Year 2026.”

“I understand the challenges that come with military construction and budget planning, but we also know the importance of acting swiftly. The longer these infrastructure issues go unresolved, the greater the risk to operational capability, economic impact, and strategic readiness,” wrote James, who also requested a meeting with Air Force leaders to discuss the funding strategy.

Officials estimate that as much as $500 million or more may be necessary to complete requisite modifications over the next 10 years at Selfridge, Michigan National Guard Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Paul Rogers said in interviews with local media in the spring. That includes “moving the runway and enhancing the runway performance” as well as “instrumentation,” new hangars for the F-15EX and KC-46 Pegasus refueler — the latter of which will be replacing the base’s KC-135 fleet and begin arriving in 2029 — and training equipment. 

Selfridge’s runway sits perpendicular to residential areas along the nearby Clinton River, and a congressional aide said officials plan to “adjust” the runway to move flight ops further away from homes and provide more “clear air” for takeoff.

Larger hangars will also be needed to house the F-15EX, which is bigger than the A-10, and additional needs could be delineated after the Air Force completes an environmental study, the aide said.

Runway work itself is expected to cost $124 million, with James pushing for $90 million in federal funding and the rest to be covered by state and local funds, Michigan News Source reported in May. 

A spokesperson for Selfridge declined to comment further on the base’s plans, referring questions to the Michigan National Guard, which did not respond. Asked about James’s letter, an Air Force spokesperson said the service does not comment on congressional correspondence.

Beyond larger hangars for the F-15EX, other infrastructure for weapons storage or personnel support should be “pretty similar” between the two planes, said Doug Birkey, executive director of the Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Studies.

It’s not clear where Selfridge may get the additional money officials say is needed. The Air Force’s fiscal 2026 Operations and Maintenance budget documents say that it wants to use an unspecified portion of some $27 million provided by the One Big Beautiful Bill “for Restoration and Modernization repairs at Selfridge Air National Guard in Michigan,” but details about the projects are contained in documents that the Pentagon has not publicly released. 

Michigan Senators Gary Peters and Elissa Slotkin also secured $10 million for the runway project and another $10 million to speed up preparations for the F-15EX in the Senate’s version of the fiscal 2026 budget, but a House version of the same spending bill, which covers military construction and veterans affairs, does not appear to earmark money for Selfridge.

Complicating things further, the spending guidance lawmakers issued to the Pentagon in July, which detailed which military construction programs should receive funding and how much, did not contain any funding for Selfridge. Experts previously told Breaking Defense that the Pentagon is compelled only to follow the direction of the reconciliation legislation itself, but top DoD officials including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have pledged to lawmakers to abide by Congress’s guidance on the matter.

Despite logistical challenges caused by Trump’s basing decision, Birkey predicted that Michigan’s lobbying — notably led by Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer — will be emulated by other states as the Trump administration moves to rapidly retire the A-10 in the FY26 budget and cut back on purchases of new fighter jets like the F-35.

“The playbook Michigan used, you’re going to increasingly see. Because the amount of retirements that are coming up for A-10 units, early F-16 units and remaining F-15 units, it’s cascading fast, and we’re just not buying enough fighters. So you’re going to see them become increasingly aggressive, because it literally is a game of musical chairs right now,” he said.

“We’re just not buying enough tails, and we need more jets, or otherwise, units are going to get gapped,” he continued. “So for a governor to make it that big of a priority, and put in that kind of political capital, I think you’ll see more of it.”