ABC Fox Montana: Sen. Tester Brings Air Force Secretary to MAFB & MANG

GREAT FALLS, Mont. – Senator Jon Tester brought The Secretary of the Air Force, Frank Kendall, and top Air Force leadership to Malmstrom Air Force Base and the Montana Air National Guard. 

“Today was Montana’s chance to visit with him one on one, particularly from an airmen and an Air National Guard standpoint,” said Tester. 

They met with Airmen to talk about the Department of Defense’s response to things like rare cancers among missileers, Malmstrom’s response to the Chinese spy balloon, next year’s military budget, and challenges and opportunities here in Montana. 

“He gets to understand it when we’re putting the budget together that things like Malmstrom Air Force Base and the Air National Guard unit here in Great Falls are important pieces. So it was a good day and we got to really show off the opportunities that Montana has from a national security standpoint,” said Tester. 

Also in attendance was Major General Michael Lutton, Commander of the 20th Air Force; Lieutenant General Robert Miller: Surgeon General, U.S. Air Force, and the Surgeon General, U.S. Space Force; Major General Duke Pirak: Deputy Director, Air National Guard; and Major General John “Pete” Hronek, Adjutant General for the State of Montana, Commander of the Montana National Guard.

While the visit was initially only going to be at Malmstrom Air Force Base, senator Tester says it felt important to also stop by the 120th Airlift Wing. 

“Seldom do Air Force secretaries stop at Guard units. But this was an opportunity I felt that you could not pass up, because we have an incredibly good Air Guard unit up here on the Hill,” said Tester. 

As Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, I asked senator Tester what it was like to be able to sit down with our Airmen and hear from them. 

“These folks are professionals and they do a professional job. They’re incredibly good folks. I’m talking about the folks up here, the folks out at Malmstrom, from the folks out the facility. We’ve got a good military, a very good military, and it’ll make you proud as an America,” said Tester. 

Sen. Tester Brings Air Force Secretary to MAFB & MANG | ABC Fox Great Falls | montanarightnow.com