WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) – chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies – met with General Carlton Everhart, commander of Air Mobility Command (AMC) to discuss two Kansas priorities in the U.S. Air Force: the delivery of KC-46A tankers to McConnell Air Force Base, and the potential selection of Forbes Field in Topeka to receive a KC-135 simulator.

“Gen. Everhart assured me that he remains committed to addressing the developmental delays that are plaguing the KC-46A’s, the next generation of the Air Force’s aerial refueling tankers,” said Sen. Moran. “I expressed my concern regarding the continued delays impacting the delivery of KC-46As to airmen in Wichita and that the growing demand for aerial refueling missions is taking a toll on readiness of other tanker fleets. The Air Force must remain focused on getting the KC-46As delivered safely to provide our airmen with the capabilities they need to conduct missions around the globe.”

“As I conveyed to the previous AMC Commander in 2013, I wanted to make certain that Gen. Everhart understood that the Kansas Air National Guard’s Forbes Field in Topeka is the best place to relocate a KC-135 simulator,” said Sen. Moran. “The central location is a less costly solution to making certain that the necessary training capabilities remain easily accessible to the 190th Air Refueling Wing and other refueling units across the region in Iowa, Nebraska, Oklahoma and other locations. I requested more information from the Air Force and Air Mobility Command on the selection process of the KC-135 simulators, and I expressed my desire to Gen. Everhart that Forbes Field should remain at the top of his list for potential relocation.”

Item to Note

• Sen. Moran and other members of the Kansas delegation sent a letter to the previous AMC Commander, General Paul Selva, advocating for the 190th Air Refueling Wing at Forbes Field as the future location of a KC-135 flight simulator.

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