Defense

The First District of Florida is privileged to be the home of military facilities vital to the defense of the United States. Eglin Air Force Base consumes a large portion of the eastern side of the First District, while the western portion is home to Naval Air Station Pensacola (also known as the “cradle of Naval aviation”) and Whiting Field. Both NAS Pensacola and Whiting are primary aviation training facilities. It is here that every naval aviator must successfully complete training, and the reason why every Naval aviator I meet has, at one time, been a constituent of Florida’s First District. NAS Pensacola contains many important commands including Naval Education and Training Command (NETC) and Marine Aviation Training Support Group (MATSG-21). NAS Pensacola is also home to Barancas National Cemetery, the Naval Aviation History Museum, and the Naval Air Technical Training Center (NATTC) which graduates 15,000 Navy and Marine students annually. NAS Whiting Field hosts a fleet of over 200 T-34Cs and almost 150 TH-57s. Over 1,200 students complete their primary flight training here every year. Corry Station hosts the Center for Information Dominance which provides the fleet with optimally trained Sea and Joint Force Warriors who will create a tactical advantage for mission success in the information domain. The residents of Pensacola are very supportive of our Sailors and Marines.

Eglin Air Force Base is the largest base in the United States. Eglin is the future home of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) and the U.S. Army’s 7th Special Forces Group. Eglin is the current home to the Air Armament Center and the 46th Test Wing, which provides a national capability for test and evaluation of defense weapons. Additional units include the Nomads of the 33d Fighter Wing, the 53d Wing, which serves as the focal point for the Combat Air Forces in electronic warfare, armament and avionics, chemical defense, reconnaissance, the 6th Ranger Training Battalion at Camp Rudder (Army Ranger School “Swamp Phase”) and the Navy’s Explosive Ordinance Disposal School.

The First District is also home to Hurlburt Field which hosts the 1st Special Operations Wing (1st SOW) and Headquarters, Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). AFSOC provides Air Force special operations forces for worldwide deployment and assignment to regional unified commands. The command's forces are composed of highly trained, rapidly deployable Airmen, conducting vital global special operations missions.

My assignment on the Armed Services Committee is necessary to ensure that our military personnel receive the support they need to accomplish their important mission. It is an honor to represent the thousands of military personnel and their families stationed in the First District of Florida.