Contact: Ostrander 202.224.7627 Shana Stribling 202.224.0
Monday, February 6, 2006

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Kit Bond today celebrated the dedication of the new Army Aviation Support Facility at Ft. Leonard Wood. Joined by service men and women and their families, Bond was honored for his efforts to secure funds for the building and his strong advocacy for the National Guard.

"Members of the Guard perform their duties with honor and courage, often a great cost to their families and themselves,” said Bond. “As our service men and women make these sacrifices to preserve American lives and freedoms, we have a responsibility to support them as they carry out their mission."

The new building will be named the Christopher S. Bond Army Aviation Support Facility in honor of Bond’s efforts to make the facility a reality. As a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Bond was able to secure $1.2 million in design dollars for the facility in fiscal year 2001 and $14.2 million in construction dollars in fiscal year 2003.

Bond stressed that the new facility is a great model for what needs to be done elsewhere in the Guard to modernize and equip our soldiers and airmen. The AASF will be a support facility for the 106th Aviation Regiment's Blackhawk Helicopters. In addition to benefiting from the all-weather navigational equipment, the new facility will offer a significantly higher level of security for force protection of the unit and equipment. Also, located across the street from the 7th Civil Support Team – the Chem-Bio response team – the 106th will be able to provide increased mobility and quicker response times for the team in the event of a biological, chemical or other terrorist attack.

Bond assured the service men and women that he will continue to use his position as co-chair of the U.S. Senate National Guard Caucus to be a strong advocate for their needs. Last year Bond, along with Caucus co-chair Senator Patrick Leahy, led successful efforts in the Senate to increase equipment funding for the National Guard by almost $1 billion as well as to boost the housing allowance available to Guard and Reserve members called to active duty for more than 30 days. They intend to lead opposition in the Senate to any proposed cuts to the National Guard. Bond pointed out that the Guard has provided as much as half of the combat force and 40 percent of the Total Force in Iraq, not to mention their role in the rescue and recovery efforts in the Gulf Coast following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

In addition to securing funds for Guard equipment needs for both domestic and overseas missions, Bond pointed out that he will continue his support for the War on Terror and his efforts to reform the United States intelligence operations.

“In the War on Terror, we need to use the tools it takes to win. Terrorist surveillance programs save lives. They can be a critical early warning system to prevent another 9-11,” said Bond. “When we get the intelligence right it not only serves to protect our citizens, it makes our men and women in uniform even more effective.