MCENTIRE JOINT NATIONAL GUARD BASE — The South Carolina Air National Guard is conducting an air defense exercise Jan. 16 in the vicinity of Florence, SC. As part of the routine exercise, fighter jets assigned to the SCANG’s 169th Fighter Wing might be seen escorting a single-engine aircraft belonging to the South Carolina Civil Air Patrol between 6 and 8 p.m.

Such exercises are carefully planned and closely controlled to ensure the rapid response capability associated with the SCANG’s Aerospace Control Alert mission. The McEntire unit is a critical component of the strategic force that is poised 24/7 to respond to airborne threats over the United States. ###