Defense Funding Adds Refueling Tankers To Joint Base In Lakehurst

JOINT BASE McGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, NJ — The defense spending bill signed into law Monday by President Donald J. Trump included funding for new refueling tankers for Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst.

The National Defense Authorization Act included $716 billion in military spending, with funding for 15 KC-46 refueling tankers destined for the base, according to a statement from House Rep. Tom MacArthur's office.

The legislation, named for U.S. Sen. John McCain, will not only add the tankers — which MacArthur has been lobbying for — it also would block plans to realign and close military bases across the country, by not authorizing a Base Realignment and Closure Commission.

The base is the largest employer in the region, second only to the state of New Jersey, with 42,000 direct jobs and more than 100,000 total jobs, MacArthur said, "and is our nation’s premier air mobility, training, and technology base."

Photo via Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst