The House of Representatives took up the final fiscal year 2013 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) last night and with it authorized a $47 million project championed by Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) that will protect and enhance critical Joint Base missions.
The NDAA Conference Report, which reconciles House and Senate versions of the defense bill, contains funding for a new Army aviation facility that will house the Communications and Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center (CERDEC) Flight Activity (CFA) on the former Lakehurst Naval Air Engineering Station side of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (JB-MDL). The CFA is currently in Hangar 5, an aging 1940s-era wooden structure that has significantly deteriorated.
“The critical security missions on Lakehurst have expanded in the past few years and are now bringing in more work than ever before, which helps keep the jobs we have and bring in new jobs,” said Smith, who for five years worked with Army officials at multiple levels and was able to secure a crucial commitment for the replacement hangar in the Future Years Defense Plan in 2008. “CERDEC is a great example of a growing mission that can continue to expand. We have a talented, highly-trained workforce that makes up the single largest source of employment in Ocean County, and a great resource for national defense.”
The hangar project’s military value was clear when it was specifically requested by the Army in the 2013 budget, in an account that was cut by over $1 billion dollars from 2012. “After careful consideration from the Army, and the House and Senate Committees with jurisdiction, this project has moved ahead toward final passage,” Smith said. “In an extremely tough budget year, the CFA hangar made the cut. It will help the Army maintain this critical mission, and keep the expertise of the highly skilled workforce at Lakehurst for the long-term.”
“In terms of creating construction jobs, the hangar will be one of the largest building projects in the area, which means it will also have a short-term economic benefit as well,” Smith said.
The NDAA –also includes $34 million for a Regional Training Institute (RTI) on the National Guard Training Facility Center in Sea Girt in Monmouth County. The project includes construction of a new complex that upgrades and consolidates training facilities at Sea Girt where Guard soldiers throughout the region can receive sustainment and leadership training in Military Occupation Specialties.
Smith said the New Jersey National Guard has been working on this project for almost a decade.
“The New Jersey National Guard will finally see its hard work pay off,” Smith said. “New classrooms and barracks will allow soldiers in the years ahead to train in state-of-the-art facilities that meet their specific needs, and improve overall readiness of the Army Guard in the state and region,” he said.
The NDAA, which is enacted annually to provide authority for the armed services, was passed last night by a 315-107 vote. It now moves to the Senate for consideration today and then the White House to be signed into law. A separate appropriations bill will likely be forthcoming in the New Year.
