Puerto Rico Air National Guard begins $34.6M project at Carolina base
The Puerto Rico Air National Guard announced the construction of new facilities at the Muñiz Air National Guard Base in Carolina, with an associated investment of $34.6 million.
Puerto Rico Air National Guard Adjutant General of Puerto Rico, Major General José J. Reyes, said the project that is expected to be complete by mid-2024 is part of the military body’s “process of transition and mission changes.”
“This construction is part of a process that began several years ago after the change of mission of the Puerto Rico Air National Guard,” Reyes said. “The assigned missions will allow us to have an additional emergency response component on the island, while providing the opportunity for greater participation in federal missions.”
“Military units have to be relevant to military doctrine; if they are not relevant, they disappear, and they are lost. This transition has made us relevant to the nation’s defense and assistance plan, becoming an additional element of emergency assistance on the island,” Reyes said.
The modern facilities will serve to train personnel and support contingency response and rapid deployment communications detachments, which could be provided around the world by the Puerto Rico Air National Guard.
“This is an immense accomplishment for the 156th Wing and our progress toward becoming the premier contingency response and combat communications wing in the Air National Guard,” said Col. Pete Boone, the 156th Wing commander.
“These new mission sets at the wing will require our airmen to deploy within 36 hours to answer the nation’s call, and having the latest infrastructure is essential to the success of the mission,” Boone said.
These facilities are the first congressionally authorized military construction projects the Puerto Rico Air National Guard has executed since 2002. The structures will support the contingency response group and communications squadron with office, deployment processing, and warehouse space.
