Sen. Portman visits 180th Fighter Wing

U.S. Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) continued his Ohio defense tour by visiting the 180th Fighter Wing at the Toledo Air National Guard Base.

While there Oct. 7, Portman received an update on the revised 180th mission set and was given a tour of the finished permanent hangars. Portman helped secure funding for the hangars in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 National Defense Authorization Act.

“I want to thank Colonel Chad Holesko and the rest of the command of the 180th Fighter Wing for hosting us as well as for providing an update on their revised mission set and how new threats and opportunities will affect their future mission,” Portman said. “I also appreciated the opportunity to see the base’s finished hangars during the visit. After seeing the temporary hangars the base was using during my visit in 2016, I pushed hard for funding for permanent hangars in the FY 2018 NDAA, and I’m proud that we were successful in securing that funding.”

The 180th Fighter Wing was the third stop of the senator’s multi-week tour of Ohio defense installations to see first-hand projects he has advocated for. These assets provide significant jobs and economic impact across Ohio and positively influence the national security of our country. A 2021 JobsOhio study found that Ohio defense spending accounts for more than 380,500 direct and indirect jobs, more than a $39 billion statewide economic impact and accounts for almost 6 percent of Ohio’s economy.

Earlier last week, Portman visited the 121st Air Refueling Wing, located at the Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base, and the Ohio-based Battelle where Portman took a tour of their PFAS Annihilator which they are collaborating with federal agencies on.