Politics & Government

Air Force Chief of Staff Visiting Hanscom

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh is visiting Hanscom Air Force base this Thursday and Friday, along with several other senior leaders, to meet with high-level government officials.

United States Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh will visit Hanscom Air Force Base on Thursday and Friday, to learn about the local base’s mission and meet with high-level government officials.

According to Hanscom’s officials website, Welsh will be joined by Commander of Air Force Material Command Gen. Janet Wolfenbarger and other key senior leaders on the visit, which is slated to begin with an all-call at 2:15 p.m. Nov. 7.

The itinerary also includes mission overview briefings, a review of program displays, demonstrations and a meeting with government officials, including US Rep. Niki Tsongas and possibly other members of the state’s congressional delegation.

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Welsh is also slated to be the featured speaker at MIT Lincoln Lab’s annual Veterans Day ceremony and luncheon.

Meanwhile, according to Hanscom’s website,

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Mrs. Welsh and General Wolfenbarger's husband, Retired Col. Craig Wolfenbarger, will devote much of their time at Hanscom to family issues. They will participate in an extensive forum with key spouses, get updates and hold discussions on significant medical issues, including the Exceptional Family Medical Program, and discuss education challenges and successes with local school officials.

According to a press release from her office, Welsh’s visit to Hanscom comes at the request of Tsongas, the congresswoman from Lowell.

From the press release:

In April, 2013 Congresswoman Niki Tsongas invited Air Force Chief of Staff General Mark A. Welsh III to visit and tour Hanscom Air Force Base with her to see the cutting-edge technological advancements developed by the talented personnel at this installation. 

On Friday afternoon, Tsongas and Gov. Deval Patrick, as hosts of the state’s Military Asset and Security Strategy Task Force, will host Welsh at the State House to make the case for “how Massachusetts, as one of the country’s preeminent high tech clusters of industry and academia, plays a critical role in ensuring we provide the very best services to our airmen and field peerless technologies to defend our nation,” according to Tsongas’ website. 

The high-level visit to Hanscom comes as state officials continue mounting a defense for Massachusetts military bases threatened by a U.S. Department of Defense plan to reduce federal spending by about $500 billion over the next decade. 

According to a report from the task force to protect and promote the bases, Massachusetts military installations support more than 45,000 jobs and contribute more than $13.7 billion to the state’s economy annually, and Hanscom Air Force Base has a key role in the Commonwealth’s “innovation economy."

Hanscom occupies land in Concord, Lexington, Bedford and Lincoln and houses the Air Force’s Electronic Systems Center and 66th Air Base Group, as well as MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory.

“Hanscom Air Force Base is a major contributor to the economy of the Commonwealth. Directly and indirectly, this military installation is responsible for more than 18,100 jobs,” the report says. “The overall direct, indirect, and induced economic activity generated by the operational and procurement activities of Hanscom AFB exceeded $8.4 billion in FY 2011. Significantly, much of this activity involves technology and other innovative activities, a key sector of the Massachusetts economy, with an impact in communities and industries across the Commonwealth.”

The report emerged as local, state and federal officials have mobilized in defense of Hanscom and other Massachusetts military bases following news of the DoD plan for slashing defense spending and the Pentagon's request that Congress authorize a Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC).


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