Senate Approves Brown and Portman’s Amendment Urging Air Force to Prioritize C-130 Upgrades for the Youngstown Air Reserve Station
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Rob Portman (R-OH) today announced that the Senate passed their amendment to the FY 2017 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to strengthen the Youngstown Air Reserve Station (YARS) and its mission capabilities. Specifically, the amendment directs the Air Force to report on how it will prioritize upgrades to new C-130J aircrafts for facilities that include special mission units – such as aerial spray, airborne firefighting, and weather reconnaissance. Brown and Portman have been urging the Air Force to replace YARS’ 910th Airlift Wing’s current fleet of C-130H aircraft with new C-130J aircrafts to ensure that the 910th’s Department of Defense (DOD)-mandated specialized aerial spray mission continues safely and without interruption.
“The dedicated men and women at the Youngstown Air Reserve Station provide unique capabilities to important missions that keep us safe and provide humanitarian aid,” said Brown. “The Air Force should prioritize special mission units like the 910th when deciding where to station C-130Js and I will continue to urge that the Air Force modernize the C-130H fleet throughout Ohio. YARS deserves our full support and I’m glad the Senate approved this amendment.”
“In order to maintain and strengthen its mission capabilities, we must prioritize upgrades for new C-130 aircraft for our special mission units like the 910th at the Youngstown Air Reserve Station, which has become a model for other Air Reserve Stations throughout the country,” Portman said. “C-130 modernization is critical for Ohio and I will continue to work to ensure that YARS has the capabilities needed to carry out their critically important national and homeland security missions.”
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