WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) – member of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee and Co-Chair of the Senate Defense Communities Caucus and Senate Aerospace Caucus – took action during today’s mark-up of the Fiscal Year 2017 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill to secure $48 million in funding for critical projects at McConnell Air Force Base and Fort Leavenworth. The bill received unanimous support and will now move forward to the full Senate for consideration.

“I led the effort through the Senate appropriations process to make certain these critical military construction projects at McConnell Air Force Base – for the arrival of the KC-46A – and Fort Leavenworth – in training our National Guard – were fully funded,” Sen. Moran said. “These investments underscore the importance of Kansas’ military installations to the Armed Forces, and I will continue working to prioritize funding that supports our Kansas servicemen and women.”

The bill includes funding for a number of military construction projects in Kansas including:

• National Guard Readiness Center, Fort Leavenworth: $29 million for construction of the 35th Infantry Division Readiness Center for the Army National Guard;
• Air Traffic Control Tower, McConnell Air Force Base: $11.2 million for construction of a new air traffic control tower;
• KC-46A Alter Flight Simulator Buildings, McConnell Air Force Base: $3 million for construction of flight simulator buildings in preparation for the KC-46A tankers; and 
• KC-46A ADAL Taxiway Delta, McConnell Air Force Base: $5.6 million for construction of a new taxiway in preparation for the KC-46A tankers.

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