Air National Guard: Tinker’s largest customer Published Oct. 15, 2010 By John Stuart Tinker Public Affairs TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- It's a given that Tinker's mission has global implications, as airplanes and parts are deployed throughout the Air Force network. But perhaps lesser known is that Tinker's top customer resides in our very own back yard. The Air National Guard spent $648 million at Tinker in fiscal 2010, making it the dominant recipient of services that enable the Guardsmen to complete their mission operations. On Oct. 4, the 76th Maintenance Wing celebrated a milestone in KC-135 efficiency. Fifty-five KC-135s were delivered with some significantly ahead of schedule, marking a new era in efficiency. Thirty of those aircraft belong to the Air National Guard, said Col. Joe Wilson, ANG adviser to the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center commander. "We had a conversation recently with senior leaders of the OC-ALC and they were quite surprised to know that the Guard was Tinker's largest customer," Colonel Wilson said. About 900 Air Guard Airmen are assigned to Tinker, at the 137th Air Refueling Wing and 513th Air Control Group. A number of these Airmen also hold civil service jobs as part of other organizations on base as well. Air Guard units deployed to the AOR and around the country, rely on OC-ALC for KC-135 program depot maintenance, engine overhauls, commodity overhauls and combat logistics support contracts, Colonel Wilson said. The Air Guard is highly appreciative of the range of support that Tinker provides. It's absolutely vital to Air Guard warfighters. Colonel Wilson hopes that is well understood at every level and that those in the backshops and on the production floor realize how the work they do every day impacts the field. For example, an Ohio Air National Guard KC-135 broke down in Germany recently. A member of the ANG maintenance team there contacted OC-ALC personnel resulting in priority shipping of a new fuel valve within 24 hours to remedy the problem. "We rely on aircraft and logistics support anywhere in the world around the clock and the folks at Tinker who are in place to solve those problems," Colonel Wilson said. This is one great example among many, of Tinker's support of Air Guard operations representing a significant portion of the load in today's high ops tempo environment. "We work with folks every day who do great things for us. Every day, members of Team Tinker are virtually with us helping us accomplish our mission," the colonel said.