May is Military Appreciation Month and represents a timely reminder to honor the courage and sacrifices of the men and women who serve our nation. Every day we can be thankful for their willingness to defend our freedom and way of life. 

My father was a World II veteran who served over 20 years in the U.S. Air Force. He retired as a Master Sergeant and, over the course of his career, we learned firsthand that answering our country’s call is a family affair. 

As Chairman of the Senate Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee, I think of him, my uncle and all the other influential veterans in my life when working alongside my colleagues to find bipartisan solutions that bolster our national defense and better the lives of servicemembers, veterans and their loved ones. 

We can be proud of the national security and defense industry footprint that continues to expand across our state. In Congress, I am working seamlessly with the rest of our delegation to ensure Arkansas becomes even more of an ideal place to help advance the training and equipping of our military and allies.

The Army recently disclosed plans to potentially reduce operations at Pine Bluff Arsenal. My colleagues and I wasted no time pushing back, arguing such a move would be contrary to the goal of accelerating domestic munitions manufacturing and waste taxpayer dollars.

While we are fighting for our existing military footprint, one major and recent positive development is the announcement that we have successfully secured an additional $141 million in new funding for Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Fort Smith.

Since the U.S. Air Force announced its selection of Ebbing as the new home of a pilot training center for our allies in March 2023, our servicemembers, support staff and civilian communities have risen to the challenge in welcoming this critical mission that supports our national security and interests.

The Foreign Military Sales (FMS) mission is transforming the airbase into a state-of-the-art pilot training center, where the best pilots in the world have begun teaching our allies to operate the F-35 supersonic, stealth fighter across the River Valley’s skies. This form of joint training is essential to cultivating our international partnerships, and by teaching their personnel to utilize this system, the United States is increasing the capabilities we rely on in an increasingly dangerous world. The new investment we delivered is integral in this effort as it will allow for construction of an Academic Training Center, F-35 bay aircraft maintenance hangar and F-35 squad operations mission planning facility as well as the design of future projects.

On top of this good news, the FMS mission has reached another milestone.

Just this month, two Polish pilots became the program’s inaugural graduating class with the completion of their training. As Ebbing looks to the future with plans to host additional Polish pilots, as well as Finish, German, Singaporean, Swiss, Greek and Czechs in the coming years, increased funding and support will only bolster the program and its vital mandate.

Arkansas has a long, proud history of contributions to our national defense, and the exciting new undertaking in Fort Smith is no exception. From the inception of the pilot training center to now, I am confident that the River Valley’s role in cultivating military readiness will only continue to grow. I am proud to champion efforts to ensure it has the resources necessary to be a premier installation indispensable to protecting our freedoms and interests.