A large number of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base personnel are about to be deployed to places around the world.
The deployment of some 1,100 personnel at about the same time is one of the largest in memory for the Tucson base.
About 400 Air Force personnel will be leaving the base in the next week or two, with the rest following by the middle of March. Spokeswoman Lt. Erin Ranaweera said the typical deployment period will be about six months.
Part of a squadron of A-10 close-air-support jets is heading out, even as the Pentagon works to retire the entire A-10 fleet. Maintenance and support units and combat-rescue personnel will also be deployed, along with part of the electronic combat group.
The Arizona Daily Star reports the Air Force is citing security concerns for not saying where each unit is headed. But some of the equipment and personnel will go to U.S. Central Command, which oversees Middle Eastern operations, among other things.