By the numbers:
$91 million — Money the Springfield Air National Guard Base generated for the local economy in 2014
$59 million — Payroll at the Springfield Air National Guard Base
$27.8 million — Money spent on infrastructure updates at the base since the new mission began in 2010
300 — Full-time employees at the base
Unmatched coverage
The Springfield News-Sun provides in-depth coverage of the military and the Air National Guard in Springfield. The paper will continue to cover stories that impact the Springfield Air Guard’s role in the war against terrorism and its impact on the region’s economy.
The Springfield Air National Guard Base has a new commander who will oversee the critical local operation that employs a total of 1,200 workers and performs key military missions.
Col. Gregory Schnulo, the current commander, was recently named Ohio assistant adjutant general for the Ohio Air National Guard. Col. Bryan Davis, who has overseen the base’s mission remotely flying Predator drones, will take over as wing commander in Springfield.
The base plays an important role in the local economy, supporting more than 300 full-time and 900 part-time jobs that generate as much as $59 million in payroll.
The Springfield Air National Guard base is also one of only eight active-duty bases in the U.S. that fly unmanned aircraft. Pilots operating from Springfield fly the MQ-1 Predator, conducting armed reconnaissance and a variety of other missions overseas.
Officials from the Ohio National Guard headquarters confirmed the move, but haven’t set an official date for the change of command.
Neither Schnulo nor Davis could be reached for comment Friday afternoon.
Clark County Commissioner Richard Lohnes, a retired F-16 pilot and former Springfield base commander, congratulated both Schnulo and Davis on their new jobs.
Davis will be a good fit for the position in Springfield, Lohnes said. Davis recently served as commander of the 178th Reconnaissance Group, which manages the Predator program.
“He was an absolutely impeccable F-16 pilot,” Lohnes said. “He was just as good as an F-16 instructor. It’s no shock to me they made him a colonel.”
The 178th Wing also has a separate intelligence mission that involves working with the National Air and Space Intelligence Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
The base previously operated as an F-16 pilot training site, but lost that mission after the last Base Realignment and Closure process in 2005 and after a group of foreign pilots relocated to Arizona.
According to his biography, Schnulo began his military career as an enlisted avionics technician in the U.S. Air Force Reserve in 1981. He transferred to the National Guard in 1983, where he continued to serve as an aircraft mechanic. He earned a commission through the Academy of Military Science in 1988 and has also served as wing commander for the 179th Airlift Wing in Mansfield before taking the job in Springfield.
“We’ve had the honor of having lots of good commanders come in and we look forward to working with Commander Davis in much the same way,” said Tom Franzen, assistant city manager and director of economic development in Springfield.
Schnulo will be missed, Franzen said.
“We enjoyed working with him and we’re glad to see that his promotion is just taking him back to Columbus at the headquarters and still able to impact activities here at the Springfield Air National Guard Base,” he said.
Davis also has a good understanding of the 178th Wing’s mission, Franzen said.
Local officials have recently said the base is well-positioned to withstand a possible upcoming BRAC, in part due to its new missions and $27 million in upgrades for the base’s facilities. The BRAC process can mean the gain or loss of thousands of jobs and millions of dollars of economic activity for a region like Springfield.
Schnulo’s new role will provide another advocate for the Springfield base, retired U.S. Rep. Dave Hobson said.
“He knows this base and has been a supporter of this base as much as any commander we’ve had,” Hobson said. “He’s been a wonderful person to deal with and having someone with knowledge can really help.”
It’s not clear yet if the Air Force will next look to a traditional BRAC process or try a different method to restructure, Hobson said. The base in Springfield has a long history of producing leaders in the National Guard, he said.
“That’s the wonderful thing about this base,” Hobson said. “It has for many years been a training base for leadership in the Guard itself.”
About the Author