WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Air National Guard's 174th Attack Wing at Hancock Field in Mattydale will continue flying drones in Afghanistan this year, even though the U.S.-led coalition ended its combat role on Dec. 28.

Most U.S. soldiers withdrew from Afghanistan last year after 13 years of combat, the longest war in American history. An international force of 13,000 troops will remain on a two-year mission to train Afghan security forces.

But the end of combat operations has meant little change for the 174th Attack Wing, whose Mattydale-based pilots fly remotely-operated aircraft in Afghanistan, according to Col. Greg Semmel, the unit's commander.

The unit's MQ-9 Reaper drones continue to aid intelligence-gathering missions in Afghanistan with surveillance and reconnaissance flights, Semmel said in an interview.

"We are supporting the mission in Afghanistan," Semmel said. "We have the manning to get the mission done, and we are executing it on a daily basis."

Semmel said the 174th flew its unmanned planes about 4,500 hours in Afghanistan in the last fiscal year from Oct. 1, 2013 to Sept. 30, 2014, consistent with previous years. The unit has operated in Afghanistan since November 2009. Semmel said he expects no changes this year.

It's rare for the unit to engage in combat with the Reaper, which can be equipped with four laser-guided Hellfire missiles. Semmel said the unit's MQ-9s fire munitions less than 1 percent of the time they are in the air. He declined to provide specific statistics, or say how many aircraft the unit has based in Afghanistan.

The 174th has not been deployed as part of the Air Force's surge last year into Iraq and Syria to battle Islamic State militants, Semmel said.

By the spring, the Pentagon plans to use MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper drones to conduct surveillance and attacks on the Islamic State through 65 combat air patrols that will be conducted around-the-clock.

Air Force officials acknowledged last week that the patrols have strained its forces with increased workloads for pilots, sensor operators and those who launch and maintain the drones.

The head of the Air Force's Air Combat Command recently wrote an internal memo to Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh in which he said the fleet of drones is strained to the "breaking point" and it doesn't have the manpower to operate them.

The memo, first reported online by The Daily Beast, suggested that Air Combat Command may not be able to keep up with the increased requests for drone flights from the Pentagon.

Separately, the Air Combat Command said Thursday that it is considering increased retention bonuses for drone pilots to keep up with the demand to fly surveillance missions.

Col. Ray Alves, of Air Combat Command, told Air Force Times that he could not say the potential amount of the bonuses, or whether bonuses would be offered this fiscal year or the next year.

The Air Force also may increase retention pay for drone pilots, something it has offered in the past for fighter pilots. The fighter pilots earned up to $225,000 in retention pay for a nine-year commitment, according to the Air Force Times.

Semmel said the 174th Attack Wing has not experienced any similar strains with its pilots in Central New York. He said demands on the unit have been consistent in recent years, and he does not expect any changes in the next year.

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