Welcome to the official website for the 492nd Special Operations Wing Beddown Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
Announcement
The Notice of Availability (NOA) of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the 492 SOW Beddown at Davis-Monthan AFB, was published in the Federal Register on October 25, 2024. The 45-day public review and comment period extends from October 25 to December 9, 2024. Please review the Draft EIS and provide comments. The Draft EIS is available on the DOCUMENTATION menu item of this website and hard copies are located at the libraries listed below. The Draft EIS, the NOA, the Draft EIS comment form and additional information are accessible by clicking the DOCUMENTATION menu item on the website navigation area above.

During the 45-day public review and comment period, the DAF will be hosting an in-person public hearing in Tucson, Arizona and a virtual public hearing via Zoom webinar. The dates, times and locations of the public hearings are listed below. Please use this website to keep updated on the status of this project.

On August 3, 2023, the United States Department of the Air Force (DAF) announced the proposed transformation of the 492nd Special Operations Wing (492 SOW) into the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) Power Projection Wing (PPW) at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona. AFSOC’s PPW would include the 492 SOW, 492nd Theater Air Operations Squadron, 6th Special Operations Squadron, 6th Special Operations Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, an unnamed MC-130J Special Operations Squadron, an unnamed MC 130J Special Operations Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, 319th Special Operations Squadron, 21st Special Tactics Squadron, and the 22nd Special Tactics Squadron. Air Combat Command (ACC) will have a geographically separated Intelligence Squadron (IS) under the 361st Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group. Collectively, these units are referred to as the 492 SOW beddown. The 492 SOW beddown at Davis-Monthan AFB includes various units to be relocated, activated and retired which is part of a larger effort to analyze and prioritize the placement of affected fighter, rescue and intelligence force structure to support the current 2022 National Defense Strategy (NDS).

Ongoing activities at Davis-Monthan AFB include retirement of A-10 aircraft. As announced on February 8, 2024, the 355th Wing has begun retiring its fleet of A-10 aircraft. Phase 1 of this divestment of A-10 aircraft has already been analyzed in the Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Fourth Generation Missions Regional Realignment ("Realignment EA") (DAF, 2024). A Finding of No Significant Impact for the Realignment EA was signed on April 28, 2024. Although not part of the proposed action for this EIS, the changes (manpower, aircraft operations, etc.) that would result from retirement of the remainder of A-10 aircraft from Davis-Monthan AFB will be considered in this EIS.

No new airspace would be created as part of this EIS and there would be no modifications to existing airspace. The DAF is currently preparing a separate EIS to optimize existing Military Operations Areas (MOAs) to address existing and future training deficiencies for aircrews stationed at Davis-Monthan AFB, Luke AFB, and Morris Air National Guard Base.

This website allows the DAF to share information with the public through the EIS process. Throughout the EIS process, this website will be available to accept comments from the public. Your participation in this process will assist the DAF with the identification and evaluation of your environmental concerns regarding the proposed AFSOC 492 SOW beddown.

The DAF invites you to participate in the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process. Opportunities for public participation in the NEPA process are shown on the SCHEDULE page. The DAF started the EIS process with publication of the NOI in the Federal Register. Publication of the NOI on May 9, 2024 started the scoping period which extended until June 14, 2024. The purpose of the scoping period was to help the DAF to determine the scope of issues to be addressed and to help identify significant environmental issues to be analyzed in depth in the Draft EIS. During the scoping period, the DAF hosted an in-person scoping meeting at the Tucson Convention Center on May 30, 2024. The DAF also hosted a virtual scoping meeting via Zoom Webinar on June 4, 2024.

Public Hearing Dates, Times and Locations

The DAF intends to host public hearings from 5:30 to 7:30 PM, local Arizona time on the following dates/locations:
Wednesday, November 13, 2024 - Tucson Convention Center - Meeting Room 200, 260 S. Church Ave, Tucson, AZ 85701
Parking is free and attendees are encouraged to use Parking Lot B.

Tuesday, November 19, 2024 – Virtual via Zoom Webinar

To register to attend the virtual public hearing, please click on the PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT menu item above.

Meeting links and instructions will be distributed after registering and prior to the virtual public hearing. The virtual public hearing can be accessed by phone at 1-888-788-0099, Webinar ID: 849-0730-1782, Passcode: 189625.
Library Locations

The Draft EIS is available at the following libraries:
Eckstrom-Columbus Branch Library
4350 E 22nd St, Tucson, AZ 85711
Murphy-Wilmont Library
530 N Wilmot Rd, Tucson, AZ 85711
Joel D. Valdez Main Library
101 N Stone Ave, Tucson, AZ 85701
University of Arizona Library
1510 E University Blvd, Tucson, AZ 85721
Quincie Douglas Library
1585 E 36th St, Tucson, AZ 85713
Himmel Park Library
1035 N Treat Ave, Tucson, AZ 85716
Frank De La Cruz-El Pueblo Library
101 W Irvington Rd Building 12, Tucson, AZ 85714
Sierra Vista Public Library
2600 E Tacoma St, Sierra Vista, AZ 85635
Yuma County Main Library
2951 S 21st Dr, Yuma, AZ 85364
Douglas Public Library
560 E 10th Street, Douglas, AZ 85607
Salazar-Ajo Library
15 Plaza #179, Ajo, AZ 85321
Superior Public Library
99 N. Kellner Ave., Superior, AZ 85173
Globe Public Library
339 S. Broad St., Globe, AZ 85501
Myrtle Kraft Library
2393 Rock House Rd., Portal, AZ 85632
Copper Queen Library
6 Main St, Bisbee, AZ 85603
Safford City-Graham Library
808 S. 7th Ave., Safford, AZ 85546
Venito Garcia Library
Main St, Tribal Bldg., Sells, AZ 85634
Huachuca City Public Library
506 Gonzales Blvd., Huachuca City, AZ 85616
Sunizona’s Alice Woods Library
6460 AZ-181, Pearce, AZ 85625
Lordsburg Hidalgo Library
208 E 3rd St, Lordsburg, NM 88045
Public Involvement

Public Meetings, mailing lists and related information.

Review Documentation

Review Project documentation and other related information.

Submit Comments

Submit Comments directly to the EIS Project Team.