Today, Senator Reverend Warnock (D-GA) and Representative Barry Loudermilk (R-GA) led the bipartisan Georgia Congressional delegation in urging the Secretary of the Air Force to select Dobbins Air Reserve Base to be named a future site of the C-130J aircraft
The Air Force recently announced it would modernize one of four possible C-130H Reserve units, including at Dobbins AFB, to the updated C-130J aircraft
Lawmakers: “We believe Dobbins ARB would be an excellent choice to host these recapitalized aircraft”
Lawmakers: “The past and current contributions of Dobbins Air Reserve Base to our nation’s security cannot be overstated. We believe that Dobbins ARB’s future is just as bright and encourage you to fully consider this critical installation as the future site of the C-130J aircraft”ICYMI—Senator Warnock: “Dobbins Air Force Base, as well as our other military assets across the state, play an important role in our national defense” – MORE HERE in the Marietta Daily Journal
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) along with Representative Barry Loudermilk (R-GA-11) led the bipartisan Georgia Congressional delegation in urging the Secretary of the Air Force to select Dobbins Air Reserve Base to be named a future site of the upgraded C-130J aircraft. The Air Force recently announced that it will modernize one of four possible C-130H Reserve units to the C-130J; Dobbins AFB currently houses one of the C-130H Reserve units. Many Air Force Reserve units fly the older C-130H model, and an upgrade will eventually be necessary in order to ensure the unit is able to continue to fly global logistical support missions—securing the future of the mission, and the base, for years to come. Joining Warnock and Loudermilk were Senator Jon Ossoff as well as Reps. Buddy Carter (R-GA-01), Sanford Bishop (D-GA-02), Drew Ferguson (R-GA-03), Hank Johnson (D-GA-04), Nikema Williams (D-GA-05), Lucy McBath (D-GA-06), Carolyn Bourdeaux (D-GA-07), Austin Scott (R-GA-08), Andrew Clyde (R-GA-09), Jody Hice (R-GA-10), Rick Allen (R-GA-12), David Scott (D-GA-13), and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA-14).
“We believe Dobbins ARB would be an excellent choice to host these recapitalized aircraft,” wrote Senator Reverend Warnock and Rep. Loudermilk. “The past and current contributions of Dobbins Air Reserve Base to our nation’s security cannot be overstated. We believe that Dobbins ARB’s future is just as bright and encourage you to fully consider this critical installation as the future site of the C-130J aircraft,” the lawmakers concluded.
A stalwart champion for Georgia’s veterans, military families and servicemembers, Senator Warnock has been active in Washington working to strengthen federal support for Georgia’s military bases. Senator Warnock previously visited Dobbins AFB, and recently announced he secured $5 million in Congressionally-directed spending funds for the base, for planning and design for an Army Reserve Center that will become a training facility for up to 800 servicemembers. The investment is included in the draft fiscal year 2023 government funding legislation, and needs to be approved by the full Senate.
Read the full letter here and below:
Dear Secretary Kendall,
We write today regarding your recent selection of Dobbins Air Reserve Base (ARB) as a candidate location for the Air Force Reserve Command recapitalization of eight C-130H aircraft with eight C-130J aircraft. We believe Dobbins ARB would be an excellent choice to host these recapitalized aircraft.
Dobbins ARB is located in Marietta, Georgia, a community devoted to the men and women serving in our nation’s Air Force Reserve and our nation’s security. The base is a regional landmark, created in 1941 as Rickenbacker Field, and serving as a historical marker. For many years, Dobbins ARB has provided employment for Georgians. Located across the runway, Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) is the applied research division of Georgia Tech and conducts more than $728 million of research annually for government and private industry. Additionally, local residents were vital to our nation’s war effort in World War II, building the B-29 Superfortress at the former Bell Aircraft plant. Also adjacent to the base, Lockheed Martin, employs thousands in the north Georgia community and has served our nation through the manufacturing of the B-47 Stratojet, C-141 Starlifter, C-5 Galaxy, F-22, F-35, and even the C-130 Hercules itself. There is no place else in America with closer ties, both operational and industrial, to the historic and indispensable C-130 and all its variants than the Marietta and north Atlanta community.
Dobbins ARB is essential to the Air Force Reserve in Georgia, operating as the home of the 22nd Air Force and 94th Airlift Wing, and the servicing installation for more than 400,000 eligible beneficiaries in the greater Atlanta region. The base also hosts a Navy Operational Support Center and the Georgia National Guard Headquarters.
Beyond its role in defense of the nation, Dobbins ARB contributes to the greater community and support of military families. The Chamber of Commerce in Cobb County, where Dobbins ARB is located, hosts a regular meeting of business and civic leaders that prioritize supporting the airmen and their families. The Georgia General Assembly and Governor Brian Kemp recently established the Georgia Joint Defense Commission, a 19-member commission that provides recommendations on supporting active duty servicemembers, their families, and veterans. Georgia provides licensing boards the discretion to recognize out-of-state licensures of military spouses resulting from a military transfer.
The past and current contributions of Dobbins Air Reserve Base to our nation’s security cannot be overstated. We believe that Dobbins ARB’s future is just as bright and encourage you to fully consider this critical installation as the future site of the C-130J aircraft.
Sincerely,
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