WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today applauded the news that the Senate Armed Services Committee has included a “strategic pause” in the Senate Fiscal Year 2013 Defense Authorization (NDAA) legislation. The move will maintain six KC-135 refueling jets—that were previously slated for elimination—at the Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base (ANGB) for at least an additional year.

“These tankers are vitally important to our national security and the livelihood of men and women in uniform living and working in central Ohio,” Brown said. “The Senate Armed Services Committee has done the right thing by including a strategic pause for the KC-135 jets, which preserves jobs for at least another year. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I will be fighting to ensure that the funding is in place for Rickenbacker.”

The Senate Armed Services Committee’s NDAA bill will establish National Commission on the Structure of the Air Force to conduct a year-long, comprehensive analysis of Air Force needs. During that time, the Air Force is prohibited from retiring, divesting, or transferring aircraft, like the KC-135.

Brown has consistently stood against the proposals to eliminate the KC-135 jets, which would affect hundreds of National Guard positions in Columbus. In March, he convened a meeting between Members of the Ohio Congressional delegation and Air Force Secretary Michael Donley.


 

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