Air Force announces transfer of Cannon personnel, aircraft

The U.S. Air Force has announced that 300 to 500 military personnel stationed at Cannon Air Force Base, along with seven MC-130J aircraft are transferring to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Ariz. “in the upcoming fiscal years.”

The announcement came Friday in a news release sent jointly by U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.); U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández, and Clovis Mayor Mike Morris.

The exact timeline for the move has not been determined, according to the news release.

The transferred personnel and aircraft will form the 6th Special Operations Squadron, according to the news release.

“We are extremely disappointed in this decision by the Air Force’s leadership, and we are dedicated to preserving Cannon as a stronghold of Air Force Special Operations, ensuring its continued contributions to national security,” the news release sated.

Fruther, the release stated, We will continue our work to secure both a commitment and a concrete plan from the Air Force to increase its investment in Cannon. And we will keep doing all that we can to deliver for the service members, civilians, and families of Cannon AFB and the surrounding community.”