Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (JB-MDL) has made the U.S. Air Force’s final list of installations that will be considered for the next round of KC-46 Pegasus tankers, U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) announced today.

The Air Force is in the process of determining which installation will host Main Operating Base 4 (MOB4). If chosen, JB-MDL will receive up to 36 new tankers to replace the current fleet of 32 KC-10 Extenders. JB-MDL is also currently home to eight KC-135 Stratotankers operated by the New Jersey Air National Guard.

“The Air Force’s announcement is a positive step for the Joint Base, our local community and the skilled and talented workforce that makes the nation’s only tri-service installation run so well,” said Smith, Dean of the New Jersey Congressional Delegation who represents JB-MDL with Rep. Tom MacArthur (NJ-03).

"This is great news for Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, and for our State's economy as well," said Kim Guadagno the Lieutenant Governor and chair of the New Jersey Military Installation Growth and Development Task Force. "We look forward to continuing to make the case for why New Jersey would be the best selection as the home to the Air Force's Main Operating Base 4‎."

Smith has worked with partners in the State, including the Lt. Governor, and New Jersey National Guard Adjutant General Michael Cunniff, as well as members of the New Jersey Congressional Delegation to highlight the military value of JB-MDL and the assets and facilities that make the base an ideal candidate.  

In January, the Air Force announced that JB-MDL was one of 11 installations in the running for MOB4.

“Our delegation has worked hard to highlight the Joint Base’s capabilities and strong record of demonstrating mission-critical worth. We have competed for and won many critical new missions, expanding the federal investment in the base, enhancing its overall military value and bringing in new jobs and economic activity to the area,” Smith stated. “This decision continues the trend but we have to work hard to stay in the running.”

JB-MDL hosts active duty, Reserve and Guard units, and is the Air Mobility Command’s premier East Coast refueling hub. The base is strategically located, with the necessary and existing capacity and infrastructure in place to easily absorb, and successfully execute its mission. It is a longtime tanker base, a critical East Coast mission to U.S. global reach over the Atlantic to Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The base’s current KC-10s are continually targeted for retirement and would be replaced by the new KC-46s if it is chosen as MOB4 in the final decision.

JB-MDL is the largest employer in the region, second only to the State of New Jersey as the largest employer in the Garden State, and contributes $6.9 billion annually to the regional economy

JB-MDL is one of five installations in the running, along with: Dover AFB, Fairchild AFB, Grand Forks AFB, and Travis AFB. A final basing decision is expected by the end of next year. JB MDL and 10 other installations were selected in the initial consideration in January: Dover AFB, Dyess AFB, Fairchild AFB, Grand Forks AFB, JB Charleston, JB Lewis McChord, Little Rock AFB, MacDill AFB, Scott AFB and Travis AFB.

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