Turner helps mark construction of new National Advanced Air Mobility Center of Excellence

U.S. Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH) on Aug. 23 participated in the groundbreaking ceremony for the new National Advanced Air Mobility Center of Excellence (NAAMCE) at the Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport in Clark County, Ohio, a project he has supported for several years and worked to ensure received federal funding.

“The National Advanced Air Mobility Center of Excellence will strengthen Ohio’s growing defense industry and create new economic opportunities for the Springfield region,” Rep. Turner said during the event to mark construction of the NAAMCE, which will house research and development opportunities on unmanned drones and electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft programs.

As a senior member of the U.S. House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Turner for more than four years has worked to bring new defense and research opportunities to the civil-military Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport, which is home to the Springfield Air National Guard Base, according to information provided by his staff. 

The congressman has advocated for more funding for the project via the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). For instance, he used the fiscal year (FY) 2021 NDAA to refine the U.S. Department of Defense’s funding criteria to place “enhancing military value” at the top priority and expanded the cap on participating rural communities to 100,000 residents.

The modification placed Springfield at a strategic advantage for the competitive grant program the following year that allowed Rep. Turner to secure a $6 million Defense Community Infrastructure Program grant.

More recently, Rep. Turner secured an additional $4.7 million in federal funding in the FY 2022 NDAA for the base-wide microgrid at the Springfield-Beckley Airport that will provide the infrastructure capabilities needed for the NAAMCE to conduct its operations, his staff said.

“Securing federal funding to establish NAAMCE over the past five years has been a priority of mine in order to bring research and innovation initiatives, such as unmanned aircraft systems, to the Miami Valley,” said Rep. Turner. “I will continue to work with local and state partners to secure additional resources for new capabilities and programs at the Springfield-Beckley Airport.”

The NAAMCE is expected to be completed by June 2023.