Sioux City, Iowa -- Members of the media and area civic leaders are invited to tour the new Air Operations Building at the Iowa Air National Guard’s 185th Air Refueling Wing in Sioux City, Iowa on Saturday October 14, 2023, from 9:30AM to 11:00AM.
Invited guests will have the opportunity to walk through the newly renovated facility during an open house and ribbon cutting event planned for the 14th.
The two-year-long project started with a complete demolition of the interior of the unit’s Operations Building that allowed local contractors, Nelson Commercial Construction of Sioux City, Iowa to start from scratch.
The nearly $12 million dollar 31,000 sq ft project called for the modernization of the Air Operations facility that was designed specifically for the Air Refueling mission, including the U.S. Air Force command and control Global ASNT system. Global ASNT is an enhancement to existing communications systems that provides additional nuclear and non-nuclear command and control.
Along with numerous improvements, the construction added a new alert facility that will allow the 185th to expand their alert mission capability.
“This new facility is a touchdown,” said 185th Air Refueling Wing Operations Group Commander Colonel Todd Miller. “It’s built to future capabilities and a will allow us to expand out our current mission.”
The redesigned was a welcome update to the facility that was originally set up in 2002 during the unit’s conversion to a tanker unit over twenty years ago.
At that time, construction was a patchwork of an existing facility made to accommodate the new mission.
By contrast, the new construction is a purpose-built Operations Building that was specifically designed for the Wing’s air refueling mission.
For questions concerning the activities of the Air National Guard’s 185th ARW, please contact Senior Master Sgt. Vincent De Groot (712) 233-0732 (office), (712) 266-5699 (cell), or by e-mail at vincent.degroot.3@us.af.mil.