And that extends a lifeline to the joint base, effectively removing the possibility of it falling under the ax of base closings, officials said.

The $716 billion National Defense Authorization Act earmarks $2.9 billion for the new tankers, also known as the Boeing KC-46A Pegasus. In all, 24  of the tankers are expected to start arriving at the base in the spring of 2021.

(Photo: Courtesy John D. Parker/Boeing)

The defense bill signed by President Donald Trump Monday will send 15 new KC-46A refueling tankers to Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst.

And that extends a lifeline to the joint base, effectively removing the possibility of it falling under the ax of base closings, officials said.

The $716 billion National Defense Authorization Act earmarks $2.9 billion for the new tankers, also known as the Boeing KC-46A Pegasus. In all, 24  of the tankers are expected to start arriving at the base in the spring of 2021.

 The new tankers were first announced in January 2017, but the spending bill seals the deal, officials said. 

PREVIOUS: New tanker aircraft will keep the joint base alive

The threat of a closure has loomed over the joint base for years, which would have spelled a major economic hit, not just the area but the state. It directly employs some 20,000 people. It also contributes an overall economic impact of $6.9 billion to New Jersey, according to Smith and the office of U.S. Rep. Tom MacArthur, R-N.J.

Keeping the three bases that now make up the joint base off the Base Realignment and Closure list was a pitched battle starting in the late 1980s, Smith said. The formation of the joint base spared it from new rounds of closures.

But fears over the fate of the joint base resurfaced with the aging of the current tankers, the KC-10 Extenders, in service since 1981 and at McGuire beginning in 1993.

Smith said a number of factors put the joint base in a good position for the new generation of tankers, including the fact that the KC-10 hangars could refurbished. The fact that the base is better-positioned than any other to get to Africa, Europe and the Middle East was another.

The defense spending bill signed by Trump last year earmarked $146 million for the refurbishment and construction that included a new two-bay hangar, Smith said.

Contracts for that work are expected to be awarded by the beginning of next year, he said. The Army Corps of Engineers and the Air Force could break ground as early as Spring, he said.

MacArthur also welcomed the defense bill.

The bill "protects the future of the Joint Base and our local economy by not authorizing a Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission," MacArthur said in a statement.

The defense bill also authorizes $7.6 billion for 77 F-35 fighter jets and $24.1 billion for 13 new "battle force ships," the White House said in a statement.

It also authorizes a 2.6 percent military pay raise, the largest pay raise in nine years, and $500 million for the "co-development and co-production of missile defense systems" with Israel, the White House said.