The Pentagon delivered mixed news to northeast Indiana and the region’s Air National Guard base last week: It intends to remove the squadron that flies and supports A-10 Warthog jets but bring nine to 11 of the Air Force’s newest intelligence-gathering aircraft, the MC-12.

News that the squadron is on the chopping block comes as a blow to northeast Indiana. Staffing could become leaner, just as the entire defense budget faces inevitable cutbacks. But the transition to the newer aircraft may well help prolong the future of the air base.

The Budget Control Act requires the Pentagon to reduce defense spending by $487 billion over the next decade. Even without automatic cuts, the nation must reduce spending and bring in more money to make a dent in the debt. And those cuts have to come from somewhere.

With a congressional uproar over plans to close bases nationwide, the local fighter squadron and others still could be spared, at least in this round of cuts and closings.

And the transition to the MC-12 could well give the base a longer life. The Department of Defense strategy calls more for smaller missions waged by special operations forces than for the type of counterinsurgency war fought in Iraq that relies more on a lot of troops with air support. The MC-12 fits better with the new strategy than the A-10 Thunderbolts, which excel at providing close cover for ground troops. Indeed, the Air Force seems intent on emphasizing aircraft that can fill multiple uses, like the F-35, which is more flexible because it can also fight air-to-air battles.

In the long term, state Air Guard officials as well as local civic leaders should prepare for, at best, a downsizing.

Consider that on Thursday, the day before the Pentagon announced specific planned closings, Air Force Secretary Michael Donley said personnel cutbacks will affect members of the Air National Guard and reservists more than active-duty personnel. The Air Force plans to reduce its active-duty force by 3,900 in 2012, but 5,100 Guardsmen and 900 reservists will also be cut.

None of this diminishes the immeasurable value of the 122nd Fighter Wing, both to the nation’s defense needs and to the community. Pilots and maintenance teams were deployed multiple times to Iraq during the war. The federal government pumps $60 million a year into the base, including $43 million for payroll for 1,200 employees, a loss that would be staggering for northeast Indiana.

Congress could well forestall scrapping the local squadron by making non-defense budget cuts. But responsibly reducing the national debt will cause sacrifices for all Americans. With luck, the base will remain open far into the future, and replacing the fighter squadron and its A-10s with the new MC-12 aircraft could end up being a positive move. But the local Air National Guard base will not be immune from cuts.