"Fort Dix, McGuire Air Force Base and Lakehurst Naval Air Engineering Station and the more than 20,000 people who live or work there will continue to serve the nation at a merged and renamed installation called Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst," said Saxton, who voted against the resolution to kill the BRAC recommendations. "I have spent years working with the Department of Defense to invest over $1 billion to upgrade infrastructure, promote joint cooperation between the services and obtain new aircraft and missions," he said. "We now have a 60-square mile, Army-Navy-Air Force superbase that is modern, potent and indispensable."

The new joint base will receive up to 47 additional Army, Navy and Marine aircraft and over 1,000 new positions. The base will be host to Marine, Navy, Army, Air Force and Coast Guard personnel.

A bipartisan group of legislators from around the country took to the floor today and attempted to vote down the recommendations. The measure, House Joint Resolution 65, was voted down 324-85.

In late August, the Commission held hearings, completed the recommendations and sent them to the White House. President Bush approved the recommendations and sent it to Congress Sept. 15. Under the BRAC law, Congress has 45 days to disapprove the recommendations. Congressional parliamentarians determine that today is the 34^th day, and that the window to reverse the recommendations closes Nov. 7.

"South Jersey’s military bases are making major contributions to the war on terrorism," Saxton said. "Fort Dix is the No. 1 deployer of Reserve troops in the U.S.A. McGuire is the No. 1 tanker base on the East Coast and creates an ‘air bridge’ to Europe and the Middle East. And Navy Lakehurst builds the backbone to our aircraft carriers, the backbone of the U.S. fleet."

While the original BRAC recommendations released May 13 eliminated all aircraft at the New Jersey National Guard’s 1,500-member 108^th Air Refueling Wing at McGuire, at Saxton’s urging, the BRAC Commission at the last minute agreed to provide a squadron of newer KC-135R aircraft and in effect, save the 108th.

"The fact that we are getting newer models is gravy," Saxton said. "BRAC is a case of zero-sum gain. The N.J. Guard will have airplanes and a mission to carry out in the future. The BRAC Commission voted to keep Lakehurst Navy base open, expand Fort Dix and expand McGuire Air Force Base. With new planes for the 108^th, we have seen a clean sweep."

The 108th’s 16 older model KC-135Es have been heading for retirement for several years, but the Pentagon’s original BRAC recommendations would have required that retirement take place over the next several years. The eight new KC-135R models, will complement McGuire’s other large aircraft– 32 KC-10 Extenders and 13 brand new C-17 Globemasters.

The Commission also voted to close Willow Grove Naval Air Station in Pennsylvania, a move that is expected to yield over 500 jobs to McGuire, plus a net increase of about 30 aircraft, 21 of which are helicopters.