Vance Air Force Base in Enid, Oklahoma, took a direct hit from a large tornado on April 23. The National Weather Service issued a rare “tornado emergency” and Garfield County declared a mass casualty incident as reports of destroyed homes and serious structural damage began to pile up.

This is no ordinary base. It hosts the 71st Flying Training Wing, one of the starting points of the entire US Air Force fighter and bomber pilot pipeline. Each year more than 370 students train on its runways flying T-6 Texan II, T-38 Talon and T-1 Jayhawk aircraft before moving on to combat jets.

The Garfield County sheriff confirmed the base was directly hit and said that for now personnel appear to be safe, though damage assessments are still ongoing. Around the installation several homes were leveled and search and rescue teams were deployed in south Enid, with reports of twin tornadoes and golf-ball-sized hail.

🇺🇸 The timing is awkward for Washington. The base is a core piece of the “pilot pipeline,” the steady flow of new aviators the Air Force needs to keep its ranks filled, right as the United States is burning through munitions and air assets in the open conflict with Iran.