Maryland is poised to gain control of a D.C. Air National Guard squadron, a U.S. Air Force spokesperson has confirmed, putting back into place the third major component of a multilayered deal around the District’s control of the RFK Stadium site that was briefly derailed during Congress’s negotiations over the federal spending bill.

“The Air Force has agreed to transfer the 121st Fighter Squadron from the DC Air National Guard to the Maryland Air National Guard,” Ann Stefanek, chief of media operations at the Air Force, said Sunday evening.

The pending transfer of D.C.’s 121st Fighter Squadron to Maryland completes the trifecta of demands the state made in exchange for backing D.C. efforts to gain control of the federally owned land surrounding RFK Stadium — where D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) envisions a return of the Washington Commanders from Prince George’s County as the centerpiece of her redevelopment plans for that site.

The rusting football stadium site and the fighter jet squadron began as distinct priorities for D.C. and Maryland leaders, but their plotlines intersected and later became entwined as time ran short for Congress to approve either.

“The men and women of the Maryland Air National Guard are some of the finest and most experienced pilots in the world,” Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) said in a statement. “In partnership with our congressional delegation and federal partners, we have advocated vigorously to maintain Maryland’s flying mission, both in the interest of national security and to continue the proud tradition that Maryland plays in defending our country. This outcome is good for Maryland, good for our service members, and good for our national security.”

However, the effect of transferring the unit or personnel to Maryland, how the transfer would work, when it would happen or whether it could be affected by the incoming Trump administration was not immediately clear. Spokespeople for the D.C. National Guard and the Maryland National Guard did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Some prominent D.C. officials have strongly opposed the idea. But Bowser said during a Monday news conference that she isn’t against it, arguing a transfer would have “no practical impact,” given that the squadron is already housed at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.

Last week, all of the deal’s components under federal purview — the transfer of D.C.’s 21 fighter jets, full federal funding to rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge and the transfer of the RFK site to D.C. — were clouded with uncertainty after House Republicans scrapped a version of the federal spending package that included them, a rejection that also raised the specter of a government shutdown.

The final version of the spending bill ultimately includes measures to send Maryland about $170 million in extra federal funds to fully cover replacing the bridge, estimated to cost $1.7 billion. But the bill did not include the fighter jet squadron or the transfer of the RFK Stadium site, leaving D.C. and Maryland each without a chief priority.

In the end, leaders from both jurisdictions worked out another deal to deliver them each a win.

In a surprise Hail Mary victory early Saturday, the Senate passed the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Campus Revitalization Act by unanimous consent.

The House had already passed the legislation, which grants D.C. control of the site for 99 years, earlier this year but it had been stalled in the Senate in large part because of objections from Maryland senators who viewed the no-cost land transfer to D.C. as unfairly benefiting the city in the regional competition to host the next Commanders stadium. The senators also wanted assurances that if the team moved, Maryland would not be left with its own abandoned stadium.

The last-minute vote required many hurdles to be cleared, but the transfer of D.C.’s jets was the key to Maryland dropping their objections, according to multiple people involved in the negotiations who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations.

Without such a transfer, Maryland was set to be the only state without a National Guard flying mission next year due to the U.S. Air Force’s announcement in March that it plans to convert the state’s existing squadron into one with cyber responsibilities on the ground.

The issue has been a high priority for Maryland leaders since then because losing its own flying mission would leave the state without the ability to put its own pilots in the sky during an emergency. The D.C. fighting squadron is under federal control, while governors have control of national guards in their states.

After the initial federal spending bill collapsed in Congress, supporters of the RFK plan and Maryland leaders each sought an alternative way to secure their priorities.

Separately, as part of months-long negotiations over the RFK Stadium bill, the Washington Commanders weeks ago gave Maryland written assurances about deconstructing its current stadium in Landover, where it has played since 1997, should the team decide to leave.

Bowser does not have control of D.C.’s National Guard but said she had no objections to Maryland’s request.

In comments to reporters on Monday, where she wore a Washington Commanders hat, Bowser noted that the squadron would remain at Joint Base Andrews.

“Their mission won’t change,” she said.

Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Maryland) called the pending transfer a victory with many sides.

“While the preservation of the Maryland Air National Guard’s flying mission is indeed a win for our national security, it is also a win for our most important asset — our dedicated Guardsmen and women,” Cardin said in a statement Monday. “This re-designation will provide them the stability to maintain their current positions at Joint Base Andrews, while simultaneously improving the current manning shortfalls of pilots and maintainers across the National Capitol Region, this is a win-win scenario.”

Now, defense officials will have to work out details to ensure a smooth transition process involving pilots with decades of experience in the nation’s capital.

Additionally, some prominent D.C. officials have voiced opposition to the transfer.

Both D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D.C.’s nonvoting delegate in Congress, said earlier this month they found the proposal troubling.

Norton also formally opposed the idea in a letter to defense officials earlier this year, noting that it would reduce the size of the D.C. guard — especially if it is not just the airplanes but also all of the personnel, such as maintenance and operations support personnel, that are transferred to Maryland.

That remains unclear for now.

“Presuming that any fighter squadron could replace the DCNG’s 121st Fighter Squadron with a simple administrative force structure change ignores the decades of tactical expertise that resides in the existing 121st Fighter Squadron,” Norton wrote to Frank Kendall, secretary of the Air Force, in an April letter.

Sherrie McCandless, a recently retired D.C. National Guard commanding general who flew F-16s, said that any military transition of assets or personnel requires careful planning to ensure that there are no readiness concerns — especially in “the most strategic airspace in the United States.”

There are major differences between D.C.’s and Maryland’s air units. The D.C. guard’s F-16s are combat-ready, can be deployed to war and are responsible for protecting the airspace in the nation’s capital, namely the White House complex and Naval Observatory. The highly experienced pilots, she said, must be ready at any time of day or night to be on the runway within moments if there are incursions in the District’s protected airspace.

By contrast, Maryland’s A-10 Thunderbolt IIs, which can be deployed overseas, don’t have a domestic defense mission and are typically used to train pilots.

It’s unclear for now how defense officials will execute the transition of personnel. The 121st squadron is just one unit within the 113th Wing and typically works in cohesion with maintenance, mechanics and other support units that are critical for the fighter jets. It is unclear whether Maryland is also taking those units, which would take more resources away from the D.C. National Guard. When the pilots are not on an air mission, they can be used to help respond to disasters or civil unrest in the city.

“There’s a lot to work out,” McCandless said. “It’s a critical mission, a very specialized mission.”

Jenny Gathright contributed to this report.

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