WASHINGTON — Continuing its string of recent successes, the Oregon Youth ChalleNGe Program, based a few miles east of Bend, will be named the top program of its kind in the nation by the National Guard next week.

Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski and program Director Dan Radabaugh will accept the award in a ceremony in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. It’s the third time since 2001 the program has won the award.

As part of his three-day trip, Kulongoski also plans to meet with Oregon’s congressional delegation and administration officials to push for a renewal of the county timber payments program and upgrades to the fighter planes based in the state, a spokesman said.

Oregon Youth ChalleNGe is one of 34 National Guard-sponsored courses nationwide that aims to give a second chance to teens who are failing or have dropped out of regular high schools. Radabaugh, who took over as the program’s director last year, said he’s glad the National Guard singled out his operation.

“It is nice to be recognized,” Radabaugh said.

The 5½-month program lets teens make up credits toward a high school diploma or GED, while teaching them military-style discipline. Typically, about 125 students in each 156-student class complete the program, Radabaugh said. Oregon’s program is located at 23861 Dodds Road.

A year after graduation, 79 percent of Oregon Youth ChalleNGe graduates are either attending high school, college, working or in the military, Radabaugh said.

Radabaugh gave credit to his predecessor, Rick DeMars, for building the program.

“When I took over, it was just maintaining the current services that we have for the kids,” Radabaugh said.

Eight years ago, before DeMars took control of the program, Oregon Youth ChalleNGe was known more for its controversies than successes. An anonymous letter alleged a grab bag of problems there, including standing raw sewage and rodents in the building, sexual activity, inadequate staffing and lack of heat.

An investigation cleared the program of the allegations, but state officials acknowledged that the program was troubled.

New fighters

During his trip, Oregon’s Democratic governor also will continue his call for the Pentagon to replace a wing of 15 F-15 fighters based in Portland with 22 more advanced F-22 planes, according to Rem Nivens, a spokesman for the governor’s office.

“The governor wants to replace the aging F-15 fleet with F-22s, because it will give us the most recent technology and advanced systems to provide the level of protection our citizens deserve,” Nivens said.

The mission of the aircraft is to respond to airborne threats to national security in the Pacific Northwest, and the jets have assisted in anti-drug operations, according to the fighter wing’s Web site.

Kulongoski first called for the planes to be replaced after an F-15 crashed during a training flight in early November. The U.S. military grounded more than 400 F-15s, including Oregon’s fighters, following that incident, The Associated Press reported. The last of those 400 planes was cleared for flight last week.

The U.S. Air Force asked for at least 380 of the more-advanced F-22 fighters, which incorporate stealth technology. But Defense Secretary Robert Gates testified earlier this month that the U.S. needs only 183 of the planes.

“The reality is we are fighting two wars, in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the F-22 has not performed a single mission in either theater,” Gates said, at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing.

F-22s, which cost an estimated $140 million to $160 million per plane, are not necessary for air defense in the Pacific Northwest, said defense analyst John Pike, who runs military information clearinghouse GlobalSecurity.org, and who previously worked for the Federation of American Scientists.

“It is intended to shoot down Chinese fighters so we can get air superiority over the Taiwan Strait,” Pike said.

Although the F-15 is more than 20 years old, “it is certainly adequate to shoot down a Boeing passenger plane,” to prevent a terrorist attack similar to the ones on Sept. 11, 2001, Pike said.

Oregon Military Department spokesman Maj. Mike Brabish said F-22s would perform better than F-15s against some threats, such as cruise missiles. The newer planes could also be used to support overseas combat missions, which the current wing of fighters could not, Brabish said.

Portland’s fighter wing was slated to be moved to other bases in 2005, but a federal panel changed its mind after Oregon lawmakers argued the planes were necessary to respond to terrorist threats or other emergencies in the Pacific Northwest.