UPDATE: Obama to Meet Christie, Visit Lakehurst, N.J. on Monday

UPDATE, noon: According to www.whitehouse.gov/live, the president’s speech will begin at 2:45 p.m.

PREVIOUSLY:

President Barack Obama will travel to Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey on Monday to deliver remarks expressing his gratitude for the service and sacrifice of troops and their families in the war in Afghanistan.

The visit is intended to recognize the end of combat operations in Afghanistan 13 years after they began.

Obama will be met by Gov. Chris Christie when the president arrives at McGuire Air Force Base, and the governor will attend his speech.

Don’t expect any protests, however.

The arrival and departure of Air Force One are open to pre-credentialed media, but closed to the public. The president’s remarks at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst are open to pre-credentialed media, but closed to the public, according to the White House.

The President’s remarks will be streamed live at www.whitehouse.gov/live. The speech will be around noon.

When Obama visits, Rep. Chris Smith, R-Ocean, wants the president to use the time to reconsider plans to phase out certain refueling aircraft.

In a letter sent to Obama, Smith called the plan to phase out KC-10 aircraft a “tremendous risk” to the Air Force. Two of the three active-duty flying squadrons at Lakehurst, he said, use KC-10s that refuel other aircraft while in flight, according to nj.com

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