Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) today participated in the official opening of a new state-of-the-art aviation hangar to house a critical Army mission on Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (JB-MDL).
Joined by Rep. Thomas MacArthur (NJ-03), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Col. David Caldwell, Directors Henry J. Muller Jr. and Gary Blohm and senior leadership from across the base, the Communications Electronics Research Development Engineering Center (CERDEC) Flight Activity hangar will retain this mission in New Jersey and help advance our military’s aviation research and development, and quick-reaction capabilities.
Smith, who has championed the project for a decade, noted that the CERDEC Flight Activity hangar is a state-of-the-art hub, designed to replace Hangar 5, a 1940s-era wooden structure that has been deteriorating, creating a threat to aircraft and equipment.
“Beginning in February of 2007, my staff and I undertook more than two dozen meetings and significant actions including meeting with then-Defense Secretary Robert Gates, two Secretaries of the Army and the Assistant Secretary of Installations and Environment to ensure that: first, CERDEC remained at Lakehurst and not be relocated pursuant to the 2005 BRAC; and second, that a new state-of-the-art facility be funded to replace Hangar 5,” said Smith.
“The CERDEC Flight Activity is a vital tenet at the base and for our local community,” Smith continued. “It is a prime example of a mission that has grown and can continue to grow as a result of a coordinated and concerted effort to highlight the talented workforce and other assets—including this new $50 million investment by the Army—that we have here.”
Smith worked with Army officials at multiple levels and was able to secure a crucial commitment for the replacement hanger in the Future Years Defense Plan in 2008.
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 slashed by over $1 billion dollars from 2012.
“The project’s inclusion in the Army’s FY13 budget request was a testament to CERDEC’s record of providing cost-effective support to the warfighter with established capabilities and intellectual capital that cannot be replicated elsewhere,” said Smith. “The work done in this hangar supports aviation research and development that is critical to continue advancing our C4ISR technologies and the quick-reaction capabilities that ensure our men and women in the field have the tools necessary to successfully complete their mission—and return home safe.”
"Congressman Smith, we thank you for your unwavering support in making this a reality," said Caldwell, commander of the New York USACE District.
The completion of the CERDEC Flight Activity continues the good news that the Joint Base has received this year. In January the air force announced that the Joint Base was selected to house the next generation of refueling tankers, the KC-46. The base’s current 32 KC-10s are continually targeted for retirement and will now be replaced. The base also hosts eight KC-135 Stratotankers and 13 C-17 Globemaster III airlifters, and other planes and helicopters.
###
