More than $8 million for NAS Whidbey has passed the House as part of a continuing resolution to fund the federal government through March 6, 2009. U.S. Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) has secured $6.16 million for a new fire instructional facility and $2 million for joint electronic warfare training at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island as part of the package. The legislation must clear the Senate before the President can sign it into law.
The resources Larsen helped secure for the fire instructional facility at NAS Whidbey would be used to replace the current, temporary facilities with a new, permanent 4,600 square foot building. Training to put out fires on aircraft is required for all crew members who deploy from the base.
“A new, permanent fire instructional facility will help servicemen and women at NAS Whidbey get the training they need to be prepared for any contingency,” said Larsen.
Larsen also secured $2 million for electronic warfare training at NAS Whidbey. Electronic warfare, or EW, is the battle to control the electromagnetic spectrum. EW is critical to our military’s fight against improvised explosive devices (IEDS) in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as protecting aircraft from enemy attack. The U.S. Navy’s Electronic Attack Weapons School at NAS Whidbey is the Armed Forces’ premier EW training facility. The School trains Prowler tactics instructors and certifies the combat readiness of each Prowler squadron, a role it will continue to play when the Growler fleet arrives.
“Strengthening the electronic warfare capability of our entire military is more critical than ever before -- to help us win the fight against roadside bombs in Iraq and Afghanistan and succeed on many other missions,” said Larsen, who serves as co-chair of the Electronic Warfare Working Group in Congress. “No one plays a greater role in responding to this reality than the electronic warfare community at NAS Whidbey. I am proud to help support their work.”