Overview
- Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth offered military controllers by text, calling their immediate use unlikely without proper certifications.
- The FAA is reviewing the idea but notes military controllers cannot be inserted directly into civilian facilities without FAA academy, on‑the‑job, and facility-specific certification.
- Military controllers would need retraining on FAA systems such as En Route Automation Modernization and Standard Terminal Automation Replacement, plus civilian phraseology and procedures.
- With no budget authority during the funding lapse, significant assistance would likely require a presidential emergency declaration and a formal FAA request under Defense Support of Civil Authorities.
- Past DoD involvement was narrow and temporary, including hurricane and Haiti quake operations and the PATCO strike’s limited military mobilization under full funding, not a template for a quick nationwide substitution.