"I am very appreciative that Dov Zakheim will travel around our state to see first hand the important work being conducted at Maine's defense installations," said Senator Susan Collins, the Maine Congressional Delegation's only representative on the Armed Services Committee. "With our visits to Limestone, Bangor, and Brunswick, I will work to convince the Defense Department's Comptroller of the need to include greater funding for Maine's facilities the Future Years Defense Plan."
The pair will begin the tour in Limestone with a visit to the Maine Readiness Sustainment Maintenance Center (MERSMC) and a working lunch at the Defense Accounting Service (DFAS). While at MERSMC, Zakheim will hear how the men and women have saved millions of tax payer dollars by developing and constructing innovative repair methods for high mobility multi-wheeled vehicles. MERSMC personnel will also tell Zakheim about their hopes to expand their workload to include all of the services of the United States Department of Defense.
At DFAS Limestone, Zakheim will witness the workload realignment requested by Collins that is now underway. The realignment created 84 new jobs, which are expected to generate approximately $4 million in salaries for the local economy.
During the pair's next stop at the Bangor International Airport, Zakheim will be given a tour of the Air National Guard Runway Project, for which Collins has been working to secure federal funding. The runway, which has exceeded its normal 20-year design life by 25 years, is in need of repair. Collins will make the case for Zakheim to include funding for the runway repair in the Future Years Defense Plan. They will also tour the Army Aviation Support Facility at the base, which needs space for current full time manning, training needs, and ramp space. Senator Collins successfully included $14.9 million for this project in the Defense Authorization Bill that was recently approved by the Senate.
In Brunswick, Zakheim will visit the site of a new $31.4 million hangar under construction as well as receive a brief tour to discuss the mission of the base. As the 2005 round of base closures approaches, Collins will tell Zakheim that BNAS makes critical contributions to the war on terrorism and serves a vital role as the Northeast's last, active-duty DoD airfield.
The following is a schedule of events for Senator Susan Collins and Undersecretary of Defense Dov Zakheim on Monday, June 2nd:
10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. - Visit MERSMC/DFAS 27 Arkansas Road, Loring Commerce Centre Limestone Press should gather at DFAS, which is a secure building and entrance will have to be arranged with the Director Larry Conrad 207-328-1100 or Vernon Davenport 207-328-1160
1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. Visit/Tour Air National Guard Runway Bangor International Airport, Bangor
3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Visit/Tour Brunswick Naval Air Station, Brunswick NAS Brunswick is a closed base. Media wishing to cover the visit should contact the Naval Air Station Brunswick Public Affairs Office at 921-2000 by noon, Monday, June 2. Public affairs representatives will meet media at the Front Gate at 3:15 p.m. Please be aware that all vehicles entering Naval Air Station Brunswick will be thoroughly searched at the front gate by security personnel. Make sure that vehicle tags, insurance and registration are up-to-date.