Wichita ? Kansas military-training efforts got a boost with changes announced for Air National Guard operations in Wichita, Topeka and Salina.

The new mission at the 184th Refueling Wing at McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita will transform plane mechanics into war intelligence experts. Their training will shift from doing mechanical work to handling top-secret information and helping decide which enemy targets to strike.

Announcements of the changes came Tuesday, a day after Wichita native Robert Gates was sworn in as the new defense secretary. But military officials said the changes were already in motion.

“We’ve been working on this for a while,” Col. Randy Roebuck at McConnell told The Wichita Eagle. “What we’ve discovered in the war on terror is that we have the best weapons, airplanes, soldiers and everything in the world, but what we need more of is intelligence.”

About 380 guardsmen will work the intelligence mission when it is at full force.

In Topeka, the Air Guard’s 190th Air Refueling Wing will expand its operations and upgrade to KC-135R tankers. The new models, which come equipped with more powerful engines, will replace aging aircraft. Maintenance and flight crews will be increased to handle the expansion.

Just west of Salina, the Smoky Hill Air National Guard Range will become home to an air support operations squadron. The new development will involve training that matches ground operations with air combat.

“We have to train like we fight,” Lt. Col. Jeff Jordan told The Salina Journal. “Having air support operations will be the bedrock for us to start working this integration between Army and Air Force.”

He said 14 full-time jobs and 65 traditional National Guard positions are expected with the changes. The hiring is to come next year.

Maj. Gen. Tod Bunting, the state’s adjutant general, announced the new missions at the three sites.

“We can move forward on those missions for the next 10 to 15 years,” he said. “Anybody who wants to remain in the Kansas Air Guard has a bright future.”

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius said the change “validates the hard work of our Kansas Guard members, shows confidence in their ability to adapt in the face of a changing enemy and positions our state to provide stronger support for homeland and the national defense.”

Rep. Todd Tiahrt singled out the intelligence efforts at McConnell, which he said shows the Pentagon recognizes the 184th Refueling Wing as a key player in national defense.