The Iowa Air National Guard unit that has been a presence in Fort Dodge for 75 years will be moving out of the community, a military spokeswoman confirmed Wednesday.

“It is known that the 133rd Test Squadron will be going away,” said Jackie Schmillen, public affairs director for the Iowa National Guard.

“The big thing is the timeline,” she added. “There is no decision on when that movement happens.”

She added that the squadron will be getting a new mission once it relocates. What that mission will be has not been decided yet, she said.

The squadron now has a two-part mission. Its 130 members test electronics, radios and radars before they are acquired for use by the Air Force. They also track and direct military planes.

Fort Dodge Mayor Matt Bemrich said he is very disappointed in a decision that he said is not good for the community.

“It’s definitely disappointing for them to decide to move,” he said. “We’d always rather have the squadron have its place in Fort Dodge where it was founded.”

Bemrich said he doesn’t believe local leaders have any way to prevent the squadron from being relocated.

A squadron like the Fort Dodge outfit is one of the smaller units in the Air Force or Air National Guard. According to Schmillen, squadrons are generally located with a larger unit called a wing. The Fort Dodge squadron is not located with a wing.

“It is really unique to have a standalone unit away from a wing,” she said.

There are two wings in Iowa: the 185th Air Refueling Wing in Sioux City and the 132nd Wing, a former fighter plane unit, in Des Moines. Either of them could be the eventual new home of the 133rd.

She said a push to move the squadron in with a wing is “coming down from the Air Force.”

According to Bemrich, military representatives have tried to explain to local officials their reasons for wanting to move the squadron.

“None of those reasons will ever make me say, OK, that makes sense,” he said.

He said the city offered to make some changes at the Fort Dodge Regional Airport property to accommodate the squadron’s needs.

“I didn’t hear a lot of interest,” the mayor said. “We offered to spend time and money doing some things for them and none of that seemed like it was of interest.”

Schmillen said no decisions have been made about the future use of the squadron’s property.

“We have not spent any time assessing that,” Bemrich said.

The local Air National Guard unit was established in Fort Dodge in 1948 as the 133rd Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron. It marked its 75th anniversary with a Sept. 16 event at its facility.

During that event Maj. Gen. Stephen Osborn, the adjutant general of the Iowa National Guard, said the squadron has “truly made an impact, not only in Iowa, but for security and stability across the globe.”