Secretary of the Air Force calls McConnell ‘a key location for us’

For the first time since her appointment in 2013, the Secretary of the Air Force, Deborah Lee James, visited McConnell Air Force Base.

She came to the base Friday on the invitation of Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., to tour ongoing construction tied to the arrival of new KC-46A tankers.

“I wanted to come to McConnell because this is a key location for us in the United States Air Force,” she said. “That’s true today, and it’s going to remain so very much into the future.”

As secretary, James reports directly to the Secretary of Defense. She was appointed by President Obama.

James is “responsible for the affairs of the Department of the Air Force, including organizing, training, equipping and providing for the welfare of its more than 660,000 active-duty, Guard, Reserve and civilian Airmen and their families,” according to the Air Force website.

James met with reporters for about 10 minutes Friday, an intermission from a full day of meetings with McConnell airmen and their leaders.

She spoke from the headquarters of the 184th Intelligence Wing, the Kansas Air National Guard component on base, in a major nod to what she described as one of two “key missions” performed at McConnell.

“There’s two key missions that take place here – one has to do with global reach,” James said. “This is the No. 1 tanker base in the world, so that tanker mission is very, very important.

“The second key mission is global vigilance, so our eyes and ears around the world, and of course the 184th is contributing mightily to that area.”

She said she was pleased to see that the $277.5 million in military construction projects on base were progressing without any “show-stoppers,” and that “by the time the KC-46 arrives, McConnell will be well-prepared to receive it, certainly from the construction standpoint.”

While she was in Wichita, James said she met with community leaders in the private and public sectors and was encouraged by those meetings.

“It means a lot to me as the Secretary of the Air Force to be in a community … where we are wanted and where our Air Force is appreciated,” she said. “Having seen the community leaders, having talked to the airmen, it’s very clear to me that we are wanted and we are well-appreciated here at McConnell, and that means a lot.”

She said the delayed arrival of the KC-46 tankers, which are now projected to start coming in August 2017, will add “an absolutely fantastic capability” to the Air Force.

“I could definitely sense a pep in the step of everybody that I’ve met here,” she said. “Any time that there’s growth, any time that there is new equipment coming down the line – new technology – that always is a great morale-booster to our airmen, and I think it’s true that McConnell is not only today, but is going to remain a very key location for the United States Air Force.

“I mean, we would not be placing a brand-new aircraft in a place where we had questions.”

This story was originally published July 29, 2016 at 6:34 PM with the headline "Secretary of the Air Force calls McConnell ‘a key location for us’."