MacArthur, Norcross Work Together to Preserve Military Base: Report

A recently-elected Republican Congressman from New Jersey is working with a recently-elected Democratic Congressman from New Jersey to ensure the continued existence of South Jersey’s military base.

U.S. Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-3) and U.S. Rep. Donald Norcross (D-1) worked together over the last year to keep a group of KC-10 Extenders at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, the Burlington County Times reports.

Without these refuelers, aircraft with less fuel capacity would have to land and refuel more often, Airman 1st Class Amy Jones told the newspaper. In a recent mission, such aircraft en route to Spain were able to refuel while flying over the Atlantic Ocean.

The extenders also help ensure the life of the military base, something MacArthur spoke about while campaigning for election last year.

Norcross said that although the base isn’t in his district, it has become his “adopted” cause due to its importance, according to the report.

There are 59 extenders in the country, and 59 are at the joint base, according to the report. MacArthur says that if the base were to lose those extenders, as it nearly did during the negotiations over the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) this year, it wouldn’t be a stretch to imagine the base falling victim to the next round of base closures.

To read more about the process, visit burlingtoncountytimes.com.