“Today’s arrival of the first of eight C-17s built in California for a California military installation represents the culmination of years of hard work for our local community and an immense contribution to our national security. The assignment of the C-17s to March Air Reserve Base will help bolster the local economy, which has suffered from earlier rounds of base closures.

The largest of the nation’s Air R eserve Bases, March’s 8,100 military and civilian personnel have played an important role in the War on Terror and other critical national security missions. This has included flying as many as 150,000 CampPendleton Marines to and from battlefields in Iraq.

The C-17s will help continue this important effort and will also mean a great deal to the local economies and to the people who work and live around the base.”

Background:

The Boeing C-17 Globemaster III, intended to replace the fleet of
C-141 Starlifters retired earlier this year, has been designed to fulfill 21 st century military airlift needs. A high-wing, four-engine, T-tailed aircraft with a rear-loading ramp, the C-17 can carry large combat equipment and troops or humanitarian aid across international distances directly to small airfields anywhere in the world. Senator Feinstein has been a strong advocate of locating the C-17s at March and other California bases.

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