OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — All five of Oklahoma’s military installations will remain viable and are poised to grow under the latest annual federal defense appropriation bill, U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe’s office said Thursday.
Inhofe, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, praised the National Defense Authorization Act that passed out of the panel on a bipartisan 23-3 vote and now heads to the full Senate.
In a statement, Inhofe said the bill “ensures all of our installations and the surrounding communities are fully resourced to invest in the important research our bases need to continue to keep their cutting-edge advantage.”
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The bill ensures there will be no round of federal base closures or realignments in the upcoming fiscal year. Inhofe says the bill also ensures missions are maintained at the state’s five military installations: Altus Air Force Base, Fort Sill near Lawton, Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City, Vance Air Force Base in Enid and the McAlester Army Ammunition Plant.
Inhofe said the bill also includes funding for national defense research and development projects at the University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State University and the University of Tulsa.