WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), will welcome U.S. Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James to McConnell Air Force Base on Friday, July 29. Sen. Moran and Sec. James will meet with the airmen of the 22nd and 931st Air Refueling Wings, the 184th Intelligence Wing, the 177th Information Aggressor Squadron, and tour newly constructed facilities to support the arrival of KC-46 tankers.

“I appreciate working with Sec. James regarding Air Force issues that matter to Kansans, particularly the arrival of the new KC-46A tanker at McConnell Air Force Base, and I am looking forward to welcoming her to Wichita,” said Sen. Moran. “The efforts of the airmen stationed at McConnell not only strengthen our Air Force’s capabilities on a global scale, but also benefit our state, and I am honored to highlight their critical roles and contributions with the secretary.”

Sec. James is the 23rd Secretary of the Air Force and has been serving in the role since 2013. She has more than 30 years of homeland security and national defense experience, both in the federal government and in the private sector. Sec. James will be visiting McConnell for the first time.

As a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee, Sen. Moran has worked to secure funding for important military construction projects in fiscal year 2017 to prepare for McConnell Air Force Base including:

• A new Air Traffic Control Tower: $11.2 million for construction;
• Construction of KC-46A Alter Flight Simulator Buildings: $3 million for flight simulator buildings in preparation for the KC-46A tankers; and
• A new KC-46A ADAL Taxiway Delta: $5.6 million for construction.

Since 1941, McConnell Air Force Base has been an instrumental part of the Wichita community. The base employs more than 17,000 people, military and civilian, and last year it had an overall impact of more than $520 million on our local economy. McConnell supports all branches of the military and allied partners, refueling off of either coast and around the world every day.

###