Billy Long: President Trump's modernization of military paying off for Southwest Missouri

(From Seventh District Congressman Billy Long)

All too often, our soldiers at home and abroad find themselves working with decades-old equipment and technology.

In order to be prepared to defend the nation at a moment’s notice, we need to usher the military into the 21st century.

President Trump made a promise during his campaign to increase military readiness through the modernization of military equipment, vehicles, and infrastructure. A modern military ensures that our nation is safe and that our interests and allies are protected.

President Trump’s modernization effort has begun to pay off not just for the military, but also for the people of southwest Missouri.

During my annual manufacturing tour, I visited Alpine Aviation Group, which fabricates digital electrical harnesses for Blackhawk helicopters. Once installed, these harnesses will convert the helicopters from an analog to a digital platform.

They recently opened their doors in Ozark, Missouri, and plan to bring 40 high quality and high paying avionics jobs to the area. While they are in the early stages of production, at full capacity, Alpine plans to meet the U.S. Army’s goal of converting a total of 716 aircraft over a 15-20 year period.

What stood out to me about Alpine Aviation Group was how federal defense spending here in the halls of Congress can have a direct impact on the community.

President Trump has been committed to increasing military readiness through modernization, and Congress, for the most part, has supported that effort. Previous National Defense Authorization Acts (NDAA) have devoted hundreds of millions of dollars towards modernization efforts.

This spending is flowing directly back to southwest Missouri through the establishment of Alpine Aviation Group and the 40 high-quality manufacturing jobs they will be offering.

While Congress as of now has not been able to agree on how to adequately fund our nation’s military for the fiscal year 2020, I remain committed to supporting President Trump in his effort to modernize our military.

I support giving our men and women serving in the military the very best equipment, vehicles, and gear. Not only does it make them safer at home and abroad, but it also makes our nation safer. I am proud of the role that Alpine Aviation will be playing in President Trump’s effort to promote readiness through modernization and am pleased they have chosen to make Ozark their home.