Murkowski Secures Military Construction Funding for Alaska
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies (MILCON-VA) approved the Fiscal Year 2017 appropriations bill, which contains several priorities U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski secured for Alaska. As a member of this subcommittee, Murkowski secured the full $561 million requested by the Pentagon to support crucial defense projects in Alaska. More than half of that funding is allocated to support the F-35 beddown at Eielson Air Force Base. 94 percent of these funds will be spent on construction in Interior Alaska. The full Senate Appropriations Committee is expected to report the bill to the Senate floor on Thursday.
“While Alaska is set to receive a larger share of the 2017 military construction budget than any other state, these investments are incredibly important for the security of our entire nation,” said Senator Murkowski. “This funding bill not only allows us to obtain the resources that we need to support our military efforts, such as preparing for the F-35 beddown at Eielson Air Force Base, but it will give local residents job opportunities for the military construction boom we are about to see in Interior Alaska.”
Click here to listen to Senator Murkowski discuss Alaska-related military construction projects.
Military Construction:
- $295.6 million for seven construction projects supporting the 2020-2021 beddown of 54 F-35 A Joint Strike Fighters at Eielson Air Force Base.
- $155 million to construct the Long Range Discrimination Radar (LRDR) at Clear Air Force Station.
- $47 million to construct a hangar to house the Gray Eagle Unmanned Aerial Vehicles at Fort Wainwright.
- $29 million to expand and improve the Airborne Warning and Control Systems Alert Hanger at Joint Base Elmendorf- Richardson.
- $20 million to construct a new fire station at Clear Air Force Station.
- $9.6 million for electrical improvements to the missile defense fields at Fort Greely.
- $4.9 million to construct a jet fuel truck offload facility at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.
Supporting Local Hire:
- Senator Murkowski inserted the following report language into the bill in order to encourage the use of Alaska contractors and the local workforce in the military construction activities.
- The Committee encourages the Department of Defense and the Armed Services to conduct proactive outreach to contractors located in Alaska and experienced in Arctic construction techniques and constraints in the execution of the military construction program for Alaska provided in this bill. The Committee urges the Department to conduct such outreach as near to the construction location as possible to maximize local participation. The Committee further encourages the Department to coordinate its outreach with the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, local colleges and universities, vocational and technical training providers and other organizations involved in Alaska workforce development to ensure that an experienced workforce is available for the execution of these critical national security projects.
Earlier today, the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, of which Senator Murkowski is also a member, received testimony from Vice Admiral James Syring, Director of the Missile Defense Agency on the Pentagon’s $7.5 billion missile defense budget request for Fiscal Year 2017. That request includes $162 million for development of the Long Range Discrimination Radar at Clear Air Force Station and $71.3 million to sustain ongoing missile defense activities in the State of Alaska.
NOTE: Fact sheets providing additional details on each of the military construction projects are available upon request.
