U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., and U.S. Representative Austin Scott, R-Ga.-08, welcomed U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense for Sustainment Bob McMahon at the third annual Robins Air Force Base congressional breakfast Tuesday morning in Washington, D.C.
 
Representatives from the offices of Senator David Perdue, R-Ga., and Representative Sanford Bishop, D-Ga.-02, were also in attendance.
 
“Robins Air Force Base plays a critical role in our national security and as a part of Georgia’s military strength. We’ve received good news this year about the future of Robins, with new hiring initiatives to fill the necessary jobs, and I appreciate the issues set forth and the attendance by so many stakeholders,” said Sen. Isakson, chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.“We’re going to make sure that our mission is enhanced and that we fully utilize that mission, and we are here to help.”
 
“Robins Air Force Base plays an essential role not only in Middle Georgia, but for our state and for the Air Force as a whole. The innovative technology and maintenance centers at Robins provide countless resources to the Air Force, as well as the surrounding communities,” said Rep. Austin Scott. “I’d like to thank all the federal, state, and local leaders who were able to attend this event, as well as those who continue to support Robins who were unable to make the trip to D.C. The commitment of the Warner Robins community and the base are an integral partnership in Middle Georgia, and I know with continued support this relationship will grow and prosper for many years to come.”
 
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and former Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue, originally of Bonaire, Ga., also participated in the breakfast and delivered greetings from Sen. David Perdue, who was unable to personally attend this year’s breakfast due to a funeral in Georgia.
 
“You may know that I grew up in Bonaire, right there in middle Georgia, I’ve lived near Robins Air Force Base all my life and know how important it is to the community, to Georgia generally and what it contributes to the overall economy,” said Secretary Perdue. “I’m honored to be a hometown boy and an ardent supporter of Robins at its mission, not only for the economy certainly – that’s a benefit – but for the national security of our nation and what it’s contributed to the men and women there who so willingly serve and deploy in an ongoing basis for the safety of our troops and the safety of our nation.”
 
Secretary Perdue recognized Assistant Secretary of Defense McMahon’s background at Robins Air Force Base. He also thanked the attendees for coming to share the message of Robins and reinforced the importance of the Robins mission.
 
“We are fortunate to have some of our nation’s best and brightest headquartered in Georgia at Robins Air Force Base,” saidSenator Perdue. “Growing up in Warner Robins, I learned early on what an important role Robins plays in our national defense. As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I am committed to making sure all of our Georgia military bases have what they need to fulfill their missions. With the new Advanced Battle Management System mission on the horizon and the recent announcement of 1,200 new jobs over the next 12 months, this is an exciting time for Robins. Thank you to General Kubinec, the 21st Century Partnership, and the Middle Georgia community for your hard work to further Robins’ critical role in our national security strategy.”
 
“I am grateful for the partnership with my colleagues in Congress from the Georgia Delegation in support of the operations at Robins Air Force Base,” said Rep. Sanford Bishop. “Robins Air Force Base is a vital piece of the overall national security of our nation, and an important part of the fabric of Middle and Southwest Georgia. It provides vital command and control and battle management capabilities for our armed forces, and I will continue to do all I can, in close cooperation with Congressman Scott, Senator Perdue, Senator Isakson, and our colleagues in Congress, to ensure Robins remains an integral part of our nation’s national security posture.”  
 
Assistant Secretary McMahon provides oversight of logistics policies, practices, and efficiencies to enable readiness across the Department of Defense and manages over $170 billion in logistics operations. McMahon retired as a General from the U.S. Air Force in 2012, after more than 34 years of service. He served as Commander of the Warner Robins Air Logistics Center, as the Director of Field Operations and Site Lead of the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III Integrated Sustainment Program at Robins Air Force Base, and as chief executive officer of the 21st Century Partnership in Warner Robins, Ga.
 
Robins Air Force Base is home to the Air Force Reserve Command, the 78th Air Base Wing and Air Logistics Complex, and the entire U.S. fleet of Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS) aircraft. Robins Air Force Base plays a vital role in our national defense and provides support to all branches of the military throughout the world.
 
In February, the U.S. Air Force announced that Robins Air Force Base will begin doing overhaul maintenance on the C-130s flown by the Navy and Marine Corps. On Aug. 15, the delegation applauded leadership of the Robins Air Force Base Air Logistics Complex in Warner Robins, Ga., in launching a new hiring initiative to bring 1,200 new jobs to the area in the next 12 months. This direct hiring initiative will help fill jobs more quickly across a spectrum of the logistics and aircraft sustainment mission at Robins Air Force Base.
 
More than 100 participants were in attendance at Tuesday’s Washington, D.C., event including Brigadier General John Kubinec, Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex Commander; Hap Arnold, senior research analyst, Office of the Secretary of Defense; Colonel Will Ball, former secretary of the U.S. Navy and member of the Governor’s Defense Initiative; Lieutenant General Richard Scobee, Commander, Chief, Air Force Reserve and Commander, Air Force Reserve Command; Major General Joseph Jarrard, Adjutant General of Georgia; and other Robins Air Force Base officials.
 
Regional leadership included Robins Regional Chamber of Commerce President April Bragg, Perry Chamber of Commerce President Darlene McLendon, 21st Century Partnership President Chrissy Miner, Warner Robins Mayor Randy Toms, Centerville Mayor John Harley, and Fort Valley Mayor Barbara Williams, along with additional representatives from business and municipal leaders from the region, the 21st Century Partnership, Robins Regional Chamber of Commerce Aerospace Industry Committee, and the Association of Old Crows, in addition to other community representatives and local elected officials from Warner Robins, Ga.
 
Robins Air Force Base directly employs approximately 23,000 people and contributes more than $2.87 billion to the Georgia economy annually. Robins Air Force Base and its community partners have focused on education in Middle Georgia to help shape Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) development throughout Georgia and the country.
 
The John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019, signed into law on Aug. 13, provided the first on-time appropriations in ten years for the Department of Defense, again prohibited the retirement of any E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System, and invested in the next generation Advanced Battle Management System, which the Air Force has already announced will be hosted at Robins Air Force Base.