Several provisions included by Congressman Mike Turner in the FY2011 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) approved today by the House of Representatives will strengthen key installations at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and help support Dayton’s regional economy.
Several provisions included by Congressman Mike Turner in the FY2011 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) approved today by the House of Representatives will strengthen key installations at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and help support Dayton’s regional economy. The NDAA unanimously passed both the House and Senate and is headed to the President’s desk for signature.
Among the most important provisions included in the bill by Rep. Turner, who was selected yesterday to serve as the Chairman of the House Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee,
were language which will allow defense industry civilians to attend the United States Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) located at Wright-Patterson, and language which will double the direct hire authority of key laboratories at the Base.
Admission of Defense Industry Civilians to AFITFor several years, the regional business community has advocated expanding AFIT educational programs to open them to non-government civilian personnel. AFIT students currently attend classes at the University of Dayton and Wright State University as part of the Dayton Area Graduate Studies Institute, and allowing civilian personnel to attend AFIT classes will help deepen the technical knowledge base of the area workforce.“This is the kind of public/private sector partnership that makes sense in our changing economy and the type of initiative I have always supported,” Congressman Turner said. “Building on assets already in place is an effective economic development strategy. I am committed to finding new investment opportunities at Wright-Patterson and AFIT is an obvious place to begin.”Direct Hire AuthorityThe primary mission of many labs is to research, develop and integrate the latest fighting techniques in air, space and cyberspace. Since the mission is so advanced, and central to the nation’s war fighting capabilities, new hires at the lab must go through a very difficult process that can take up to 18 months. This lengthy process has made it difficult at times to hire the most talented employees. The language offered by Congressman Turner in the FY2011 NDAA authorizes the Air Force Research Laboratory and other national laboratories to double the portion of the workforce it can hire directly.“Security is our primary concern when hiring at the Air Force Research Laboratory, but I believe a balance can be achieved that satisfies the Pentagon and gives the Air Force lab the ability to hire a person of special or unique talent, when they are available,” Congressman Turner said.
Rep. Turner was recently elected to his fifth term in Congress. He has been a member of the Strategic Forces Subcommittee since beginning his service in the House in 2003, and served as the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee in the 111th Congress.
As Chairman of the Strategic Forces Subcommittee, Rep. Turner will be a lead advocate in Ohio’s Congressional delegation for the National Air and Space Intelligence Center (NASIC), headquartered at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. NASIC is the nation’s premier analytical expertise in air, space, counterspace, and cyberspace and is responsible for over two thousand jobs in the Dayton area. This chairmanship strengthens Ohio’s ability to protect NASIC from attempts to critical jobs and missions away to other states.
As a subcommittee chairman on Armed Services, Turner will also be in a position to support NASA Glenn in Cleveland, the Lima Army Tank Plant, the Springfield Air National Guard Base and other key Ohio military installations.