Garamendi Supports Northern California Air Force Bases as Congress Passes Bipartisan Defense Authorization
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman John Garamendi (D-Fairfield, CA), a Member of the House Armed Services Committee, voted for the final version of the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which passed the House on a bipartisan basis. As he has throughout his tenure in Congress, Garamendi vigilantly supported the values of Northern California residents and the needs of Travis and Beale Air Force Bases during the entire year long NDAA process.
Nicknamed the “Gateway to the Pacific,” Travis Air Force Base is located in Fairfield and serves our country by providing Air Mobility. Beale Air Force Base, which is near Marysville, fulfills an essential Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) mission.
“By specializing in mobility and intelligence gathering, Travis and Beale Air Force Bases are the tip of the spear of a military transforming to meet America’s national security needs in a post Cold War world,” said Garamendi.
Congressman Garamendi has led a steadfast letter writing and lobbying campaign encouraging the Pentagon to center the KC-46 Tanker at Travis Air Force Base (link to Daily Republic article).
During the NDAA process, he successfully prevented both the removal of the MC-12 mission from Beale and the mothballing of the Global Hawk Block 30.
The Congressman also authored two amendments that were incorporated into the NDAA and will likely be signed into law. The first amendment strengthens America’s ability to manufacture three dimensional integrated circuits, which are critical to the national security community as the building blocks of intelligence, defense, power grid, and telecommunications systems. The second amendment honors the Air Mobility Command on their 20th Anniversary. (Congressman Garamendi is Chair of the Congressional Air Mobility Caucus, which raises awareness about the critical role this mission plays in our national security and ensures Members of Congress have access to the most up-to-date information on developments in air mobility.)
Unfortunately, the NDAA does not include either due process protections to clarify ambiguity in the law on detentions or a requirement for a swifter withdrawal from Afghanistan. The Congressman will continue to speak loudly for these two priorities in the next Congress.
The NDAA provides a pay raise and improves mental health services for military service members. It also improves incentives for federal agencies to contract with small businesses.
A full summary of the 2013 NDAA is linked here at the Armed Services Committee website.