by Michael Tilley (mtilley@talkbusiness.net)
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Sanders is citing the resignation of 188th Wing Commander Col. Dillon Patterson in a letter to President Joe Biden and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin that asks for repeal of a policy that pays for abortion-related costs for members of the military.
In a statement issued Tuesday (Jan. 2) afternoon, Gov. Sanders suggested Patterson resigned as 188th commander because he did not support the Department of Defense (DOD) policy on abortion access.
The 188th is based at Ebbing Air National Guard base in Fort Smith and has more than 1,000 unit members. The 188th’s three primary missions are remotely piloted aircraft (MQ-9 Reaper), intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and targeting (space-focused). As of Tuesday, Patterson was still listed as unit commander on the 188th website.
The MQ-9 Reaper arrives at the Fort Smith Regional Airport in 2021 as part of a 188th Wing exercise.