Warner Robins, Ga. — Today, U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff brought Air Force Chief of Staff General David W. Allvin to Georgia.
Throughout the day, Sen. Ossoff, General Allvin, and Lt. General John Healy, Commander of the Air Force Reserve, met with senior leadership and servicemembers at Robins Air Force Base in Warner Robins; Moody Air Force Base in Valdosta; and Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta, as Sen. Ossoff continues working to support Georgia’s defense and national security interests.
During the day, Sen. Ossoff held a press conference at Moody AFB. Please click here to view/download the press conference footage.
1. In the morning, Sen. Ossoff and General Allvin met with Robins AFB leadership, including Col. Deedrick Reese, Robins Installation and 78th Air Base Wing Commander; Col. Adam Shelton, 461st Air Control Wing Commander; and more.
At Robins AFB, Sen. Ossoff, General Allvin, and the leadership discussed new missions coming to Robins after the retirement of the E-8 JSTARS, as well as the Battle Management Combined Operations Complex being constructed. Earlier this year, Sen. Ossoff brought Republicans and Democrats together to deliver $50 million for the new Complex through the FY24 bipartisan government funding package, which aims to strengthen the Air Force’s national defense strategy and capabilities at Robins.
2. In the afternoon, Sen. Ossoff and General Allvin met with Moody AFB leadership, including Col. Paul Sheets, Commander, 23rd Wing; Col. John Blocher, Commander, 93rd Air Ground Operations Wing; and more.
At Moody AFB, Sen. Ossoff, General Allvin, and the leadership discussed the construction timeline of facilities and infrastructure that will be necessary to bring a squadron of F-35 to Moody AFB. Last June, Sen. Ossoff and the U.S. Air Force announced Moody AFB was chosen as the preferred location to receive the next active-duty F-35A Lightning II mission.
Sen. Ossoff also held a press briefing alongside Valdosta Mayor Scott James Matheson and Dr. Lucy Greene, Moody Support Group co-founder.
“We just had a meeting with the Command here at Moody, in which we made major progress toward identifying the steps that we need to take together to bring the F-35 to this base and to do it on time,” Sen. Ossoff said during the press conference. “It was one of the most productive meetings that I’ve ever had with senior officers from the Department of Defense, and I’m so grateful to General Allvin for taking a full day to come down to the state of Georgia to work with me to advance Georgia’s interest and the national interest.”
“It is a big deal to have the Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force in Georgia. For him to clear a full day of his schedule, given everything that’s going on in the world, speaks to the essential role that Georgia plays and that this installation plays in our national security,” Sen. Ossoff continued. “We talked through in detail the timeline or construction of the facilities and infrastructure that will be necessary to bring a squadron of F-35s to Moody Air Force Base.”
Click here to view/download video of the Senator’s press conference at Moody AFB.
3. Then, Sen. Ossoff and General Allvin met with Dobbins ARB leadership, including Col. Michael Parks, 94th Airlift Wing Commander; Major General Richard Wilson, The Adjutant General of the Georgia Department of Defense and Commanding General of the Georgia Army National Guard; Melissa Coburn, Commander, 22nd Air Force; and more.
At Dobbins, Sen. Ossoff, General Allvin, and the leadership discussed the importance of the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserves to meeting the Air Force’s strategic goals in the coming years.
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