I live in Portland, Oregon, which means I belong to one of the only communities in the world that gets to see, and mostly hear, the new F-15EX. The 142nd Oregon Air National Guard (ANG), stationed at Portland International Airport, was the first ANG unit to accept delivery of the cutting-edge F-15 variant last summer. 

Now, the sound of the jet’s twin engines is a fixture of life in a city that feels very detached from the world of defense.  

First Operational F-15EXs 

“The delivery of the first [F-15EX] to the Oregon ANG represents the first time a new weapon system is delivered to the Air National Guard before serving in the Air Force,” The Aviationist reported last summer. “So far, six F-15EXs have been delivered to Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, where they are supporting developmental and operational tests on the new aircraft, while Portland is receiving the first operational examples.” 

The operations of the F-15EXs are quite obvious to me, as a Portland resident, and to much of the city – whether they know the significance of the aircraft type or not. While I enjoy the sights and sounds of the F-15s, many of my neighbors do not. Various petitions and efforts have called for the end of fighter traffic over Portland. 

Take this petition on change.org, titled, ‘Stop the Fighter Jets Flying Over Portland Neighborhoods!’ The petition has nearly 2,000 signatures and cites the jet noise as “a serious physical and mental health hazard” that “drastically affects the quality of life for thousands of Portlanders.” 

“They shake houses, rattle bones, ruin the peace and sanctuary of backyards, and wake up the sleeping,” the petition states. “These jets regularly deviate from their accepted flight paths by up to 1.2 miles, fly at low altitudes, increase noise pollution to unacceptable levels, and physically endanger those underneath the flight paths.” The statement concludes: “We must say “no” to the military-industrial complex parking itself in our living rooms and flying over our schools. Now is the time to draw a line in the sand.” 

A staple of Our Territorial Defense 

I can appreciate the desire to not hear fighter jets in your residential neighborhood. But I will say the arguments to limit the OANG’s activities speak to a complacency that is very American. The ANG serves a vital role in protecting our territorial integrity – a bedrock principle of any sovereign nation. As Americans, it’s easy to take our territorial integrity for granted – we are arguably the safest country in human history. But that safety is owed, in part, to the readiness of our domestically stationed fighters, like the 142nd in Portland. 

The 142nd’s location is of particular importance, as America’s most revisionist and adventurous adversaries (Russia and China) are located most closely to our Pacific Northwest territories. Maintaining a capable fighter presence in the Pacific Northwest serves a vital security function. The upgrade to the F-15EX enhances that security function.     

Harrison Kass is a defense and national security writer with over 1,000 total pieces on issues involving global affairs. An attorney, pilot, guitarist, and minor pro hockey player, Harrison joined the US Air Force as a Pilot Trainee but was medically discharged. Harrison holds a BA from Lake Forest College, a JD from the University of Oregon, and an MA from New York University. Harrison listens to Dokken. 

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