Supporting Missouri’s Role in National Defense

• Senator Blunt understands that Missouri plays a pivotal role in the federal government’s number one responsibility: to protect the nation from enemies, both foreign and domestic
• As a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, Senator Blunt helps oversee the nation’s federal defense spending, supports Missouri’s vital role in the defense of our country, and works to promote greater investment in our state
• Since arriving in the Senate, Senator Blunt has worked to pass legislation containing key Missouri defense priorities

• The omnibus appropriations bill, which was signed into law in December 2015, provided funding for several priorities Senator Blunt championed, including: 

• An additional $1 billion for seven EA-18G Growlers and five F-18E/F Super Hornets manufactured in St. Louis, Mo. 
• $29.5 million for the construction of a 79,000 square-foot “Consolidated Stealth and Nuclear Alert Facility” at Whiteman Air Force Base
• An additional $128.2 million for C-130 aircraft upgrades that meet Air National Guard intra-theater airlift mobility requirements
• An additional $30 million for Tomahawk missile systems to meet our nation’s minimum sustainment rate needs for long-range, all-weather subsonic cruise missile capabilities
• An additional $7.5 million to support Army National Guard Cyber Protection Teams

Defending Against Cuts to Soldiers and Army Families Stationed at Fort Leonard Wood

• Senator Blunt recognizes that Fort Leonard Wood trains more than 80,000 soldiers and civilians each year, and provides Basic Combat Training for one in five new soldiers entering the United States Army
• As the Army gets smaller after nearly 15 years of war, Senator Blunt believes that Fort Leonard Wood’s numerous assets - diverse training, operations, joint footprint, few encroachment issues, and low cost of living compared to other large Army bases - provide a significant advantage, positioning the base for continued growth and stability
• In 2015, Senator Blunt successfully advocated to prevent disproportionate cuts to Army basic training personnel at Fort Leonard Wood
• Senator Blunt will continue working to demonstrate to the Army how any additional cuts at Fort Leonard Wood would increase the Army’s risk in maintaining sufficient readiness to respond to global threats and meet national defense requirements

Supporting the Missouri National Guard Keeps Missouri and our Nation Safe

• Senator Blunt understands that the Missouri National Guard is key to protecting critical infrastructure and supporting civil authorities not only in Missouri, but across the nation
• Senator Blunt successfully passed an amendment requiring the Department of Defense to develop a strategy for using the National Guard to help meet the demand for qualified experts needed to support national cyber missions of U.S. Cyber Command 
• Senator Blunt supported legislation during the fiscal year 2015 markup of the defense authorization bill that prevented the Army from taking Apache aircraft away from the Missouri National Guard stationed at Whiteman Air Force Base
• Senator Blunt understands that Rosecrans Air National Guard Base, located in St. Joseph, Missouri, is one of the nation’s premier training sites for C-130 aircraft, and is the location of the Advanced Airlift Tactics Training Center, which provides advanced tactical training to airlift aircrews throughout the U.S. military and 16 allied nations
• Senator Blunt successfully advocated for two new C-130 flight simulators at Rosecrans, which will provide considerable economic savings to the base and increase readiness
• Senator Blunt successfully added an amendment to the fiscal year 2015 defense authorization bill directing the U.S. Air Force to provide its full fielding plan for newer, C-130J aircraft, which directly impacts St. Joseph

Supporting Whiteman Air Force Base to Help Preserve our Global Nuclear Deterrence

• Senator Blunt recognizes the strategic importance of Whiteman’s nuclear mission, which is why he supported $29.5 million in military construction funding for a new Stealth and Nuclear Alert Facility on base
• Senator Blunt is an ardent supporter of the 442^nd Fighter Wing stationed at Whiteman, which flies the venerable A-10 Warthog, and fought alongside his colleagues to provide additional funding to prevent the retirement of this critical close-air-support asset
• Senator Blunt introduced an amendment in the 113^th Congress directing the Air Force to complete the Advanced Concept Ejection Seat qualification on the B-2 Spirit aircraft, which benefited pilots at Whiteman Air Force Base

Fighting to Keep the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency in Missouri

• As a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Senator Blunt continues to advocate for maintaining the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s 3,000 dedicated employees and its critical mission in Missouri
• Senator Blunt believes that keeping NGA in Missouri keeps with the long-standing tradition of the agency and its predecessor organizations residing in the state, and will help ensure continuity in the exceptional staffing required