Ohio Legislators Tour Wright-Patterson Air Force Base

  • Published
  • By Sarah Pond
  • 88th Air Base Wing
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio --  

On June 30, 14 Ohio legislators and staffers attended a tour on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. They attended on this day for the opportunity to understand what Wright-Patterson has to offer within the state of Ohio and the U.S. Air Force, allowing them to share what they learned with their constituents.

The tour opened with a briefing from the 88th Air Base Wing and installation commander, Col. Jason Okumura, at the National Air and Space Intelligence Center, followed by a briefing by Col. James Bowers from the Air Force Institute of Technology. The legislators then received an unclassified brief from NASIC and the National Space Intelligence Center. Next, the group shared lunch with airmen at the dining facility.

First Lt. Briona Carswell of the Air Force Research Lab shared that she greatly enjoyed talking with the legislators over lunch, and that the valuable discussions with the airmen covered the importance of connection to the community in Dayton.

Following lunch, the legislators had the opportunity to tour the AFRL and two of its innovation cells, concluding with a business overview of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center and a panel with senior leaders from the base. The topics of the Q&A panel included retention in Ohio, the workforce, and military life, offering the legislators an opportunity to ask more regarding their curiosities. Leadership from the 88th ABW, NSIC, NASIC, AFRL, and AFLCMC participated in the panel and responded to inquiries.

“As the Air Base Wing, we are the foundation.” Col. Dorinda Mazza stated in response to a question regarding the interconnectedness and ties of organizations at Wright-Patterson, “Without our mission partners, we would be a base that had a runway— that wouldn’t be used because we don’t have a flying mission in the 88th— and we’d have a hospital. That’s all we would be. From our perspective, we are looking at my boss being the mayor— if you will— of this city and making sure the infrastructure is there, and the security is there. That is our support to our mission partners— that lays the foundation for them to be there and execute their particular missions.”

This was a first-time visit for many legislators on the tour, including Ohio State Sen. Terry Johnson, District 14. He expressed his favorite part of the tour was learning the layout of the base, what happens at Wright-Patterson, and how the larger team impacts the economy of Ohio and just how many people here have contributed to the economy.

Sen. Johnson shared: “We were given a nice overview. Looking at the technical terms of testing hypersonic technology is something very topical and to learn that Wright-Patterson is the center of that research was fascinating.”

He also learned that the artifacts and displays in the Air Force Museum evolved out of the technology developed here at Wright Field, from the very earliest developments in World War II to the SR-71 Blackbird. He was impressed to learn that all the aircraft were tested on base at one point or another.

This exclusive experience gave the Ohio legislators a first-hand look at innovation on Wright-Patterson. The opportunity offered them an ability to learn about the many missions held at Wright-Patterson as they connected with airmen throughout the day, gaining an understanding of everyday military life. Discussions with leadership offered ideas to carry back to their districts and left an impact on the legislators with their newly gained knowledge.