Retired Kansas National Guard officers, enlisted leaders call for transparency in fight with Iran
A United States Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker refueling aircraft on March 13, 2026, on the runway at Ben Gurion airport in Lod, Israel. (Photo by Erik Marmor/Getty Images)
TOPEKA — Retired Army and Air Force senior officers and enlisted personnel of the Kansas National Guard signed a joint statement calling for the U.S. Department of Defense to be transparent with the nation about the purpose of war with Iran and the sacrifices being made by women and men in uniform.
Three generals, two command chief master sergeants and a command sergeant major who served in the Kansas Guard said it was essential for the country to understand what was being asked of the military in the Middle East. They said throwing a blanket over the conflict made it difficult for Americans, just as it did in previous wars, to understand what the federal government expected of the nation.
“A tenet of gaining the support of our nation for the missions given to our military has been clarity of purpose,” said the statement shared with Kansas Reflector. “Similarly, the key to maintaining the support of our citizens has been transparency. Since World War II, we have erred by failing to involve the entire nation in the effort. We must ensure our entire nation knows the sacrifices and difficulties our country’s best are enduring on our behalf.”
The United States and Israel initiated the ongoing armed conflict with Iran on Feb. 28. Iran responded with drone and missile attacks on U.S. bases and facilities.
The administration of President Donald Trump offered a series of reasons for attacking Iran. The list included a quest to keep Iran from developing nuclear weapons, to achieve regime change in Iran, to degrade Iran’s military capabilities and missile infrastructure, and to control Iran’s oil resources. U.S. allies in Europe declined to take part in the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.
The Kansas Guard confirmed airmen of the 190th Air Refueling Wing based at Forbes Field in Topeka deployed in early March to the Middle East. The 190th’s Air Guard crews operate approximately a dozen KC-135 tankers for aerial refueling of aircraft.
The 190th has more than 900 personnel, but neither the Kansas Guard nor U.S. Central Command shared what portion was deployed in support of the war with Iran. A contingent of Kansas Army National Guard soldiers, not part of the 190th, have been deployed to countries in the Middle East.
The statement urging government transparency was endorsed by retired Maj. Gen. Tod Bunting, who served as adjutant general of the Kansas Guard from 2004 to 2011 and was part of the 190th Air Refueling Group, 184th Tactical Fighter Group and 184th Bomb Wing of the Kansas Air Guard. The other two-star general to sign the message was retired Maj. Gen. Russ Axtell, who served as commander of the Kansas Air Guard and led the 184th in Wichita.
Other signers were retired Brig. Gen. Eric Peck, who commanded the Kansas Army Guard; Command Chief Master Sgt. Roger Wilson of the Kansas Air Guard; Command Chief Master Sgt. John Kimball of the Kansas Air Guard; and Command Sgt. Maj. James Crosby of the Kansas Army Guard. Another to join the message was retired Col. Thomas Serrano, a former judge advocate who was in the Air National Guard and served at the Pentagon.
“To be clear, we are not asking anyone in the administration to violate operational security,” the statement said. “Rather, as has happened with virtually any substantial past conflict, open and transparent information must flow to our citizens. Importantly, this will also inform the deployed that the nation is fully behind them and the sacrifices they are making.”
In the message, the retired senior airmen and soldiers said the regular flow of information from the Department of Defense to the public meant families and loved ones of Kansas troops wouldn’t bear the burden of warfare alone. Signers of the statement said a key message was “remember everyone deployed.”
“Our citizens must understand the importance of what we are undertaking and the sacrifice it takes to achieve the goals we set,” the statement said. “They must be assured that the safety of our troops will be a keystone of our planning and execution.”
On March 1, six U.S. Army reservists were killed in an Iranian attack on a U.S. installation in Kuwait. An American service member died March 9 of injuries sustained during an attack on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia. In a more recent assault on Prince Sultan, two U.S. Air Force aircraft, including a KC-135, were heavily damaged.
Six U.S. airmen were killed March 12 when a KC-135 tanker crashed in western Iraq. U.S. Central Command says more than 300 U.S. service members have been wounded in the conflict, but most had returned to duty.