House Armed Services Committee Chairman to Tour the Joint Base

A shore area Congressman is hoping that a tour of the Mega Base this Saturday with the Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee will pay off in the future. 3rd District Congressman Jon Runyan (R) will be taking Chairman Buck McKeon around Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in hopes of landing future projects, like the new fleet of tanker refueling planes.

Runyan says he's hoping to highlight the fact that the base is a cooperative effort that includes three branches of the military. He believes the Joint Base concept alone will help Washington Officials see the JBMDL's value to a leaner and more efficient armed forces. "When the discussion comes up for BRAC, we hope we're not on the list because we've obtained all these efficiencies and people see how good we are at it and how much money we can save the taxpayer."

Runyan says there are lots of Washington Officials making decisions that impact the Joint Base who've never actually been to the base. He says "once they step on it, they see what a valuable asset that it is, not only to New Jersey but to the country and to the defense of this nation." "When you see something with your own eyes and you touch and feel it, you buy into it a little more because you've added personal experience with it and that's the main goal of this whole trip."

Runyan says he and other Washington Representatives are lobbying for new projects for the JBMDL to insure its place in the future.

JBMDL is New Jersey's second largest employer with and estimated 44,000 people directly or indirectly employed there.