The landscape of military strategy is changing rapidly, and nowhere is this shift more evident than at the Roland R. Wright Air National Guard Base in Utah.

The Air Force recently announced a significant transformation at this base, with two new cyber operations squadrons set to be established while, at the same time, the base’s long-serving tactical air control party squadron will be deactivated.

This change reflects the service’s broader move away from a posture defined by the Global War on Terror and toward preparing for new and emerging threats in the cyber domain.

According to the Air Force, the Utah base was chosen as the preferred location for the Air National Guard’s new cyber operations squadrons.

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This decision is part of a larger Department of War initiative to reimagine and rebalance its resources as outlined in the 2025 defense budget.

As a result, the base’s 109th Air Control Squadron, which has long played a pivotal role in battlefield operations, will be inactivated.

This shift is not an isolated decision. The Air Force has indicated that the inactivation of the 109th Air Control Squadron is only one piece of a much broader strategy.

The 2025 defense budget includes plans to cut half of the Air National Guard’s tactical air control party and control and reporting center missions. The Air Force’s elite TACPs, or tactical air control party airmen, have been a staple on battlefields for the past two decades.

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These skilled specialists were often deployed alongside Army and special operations units, where they were responsible for calling in and directing airstrikes during combat.

Their expertise was invaluable in Iraq and Afghanistan, where close coordination between ground and air forces could make the difference between success and failure.

Despite their critical role in previous conflicts, the number of TACP positions in the Air Force has already begun to decline. In 2023, the Air Force reported around 3,700 TACPs in its ranks.

However, it also revealed that it intended to cut these positions by approximately 44 percent by 2025.

This reduction is part of a broader reorientation from Middle Eastern conflicts to a potential confrontation in the Indo-Pacific region, where different capabilities will be in greater demand.

The Utah Air National Guard had already announced in July 2024 that its 109th Air Control Squadron—affectionately known as the Warlocks—would undergo a profound transformation.

The squadron’s new mission would focus on cyber warfare, reflecting the growing recognition among top Air Force and National Guard officials that cyber capabilities will be essential in future conflicts.

“Cyber is the future of warfare,” 109th Air Control Squadron commander Lt. Col. Joshua McCarty stated in 2024. “It’s going to evolve, and it is currently evolving. We need to be ready to tackle challenges not just in the air, but in cyberspace as well.”

This pivot toward cyber operations is driven in large part by the actions of potential adversaries.

The Utah Air National Guard pointed out that as nations like China and Russia continue to strengthen their own cyber capabilities, the U.S. military must ensure it does not fall behind.

Because of this, the interim National Defense Strategy calls for an increased focus on building out cyber capabilities across all branches of the military.

The Air Force believes that cyber warfare will play a decisive role in any future conflict, and therefore it is essential to invest in personnel and infrastructure now.

The transition at the Utah base will bring about several changes in staffing. As the 109th Air Control Squadron winds down, some of its airmen will be reassigned to help establish the two new cyber squadrons.

While Utah will lose 52 part-time positions in this process, it will gain 12 full-time personnel to support the cyber mission. This adjustment is a sign of the changing demands placed on the Air National Guard and its evolving role in national defense.

Looking ahead, the Air Force expects the two new cyber squadrons to reach full operational capability by the spring of 2030.

This timeline reflects both the urgency and the complexity of building a robust cyber defense posture capable of meeting future threats.

The transformation underway at the Roland R. Wright Air National Guard Base marks a turning point for both the Utah Air Guard and the broader U.S. military.

By embracing cyber warfare as the new frontier, the base is positioning itself—and the country—for the challenges of tomorrow’s battlefield.

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