Defense and National Security
![Army tank and soldiers Army tank and soldiers](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130104075922im_/http://runyan.house.gov/sites/runyan.house.gov/files/styles/section_front_boilerplate/public/defense.jpg)
The issues of Defense and National Security are important to our district and to my work in Congress.
Our service men and women work tirelessly to defend our freedom and protect our nation at home and abroad. I am proud to serve on the House Armed Services Committee where I am committed to working hard to ensure that our service members have the resources and tools they need to protect our country and remain the best trained and equipped military in the world. I will also remain relentless in advocating and protecting the broad missions of McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst – a joint base for the Air Force, Army, and Navy. The base not only plays a critical role in our national security, but is a key economic engine for our region. Already in the 112th Congress I have worked to:
- Authorize and appropriate $49 million in military construction funding for a New Jersey National Guard Army Aviation Support Facility;
- Author and secure passage of a provision as part of the National Defense Authorization Act to correct the disparity that exists for DoD wage grade employees at all installations that were designated as “joint” as part of the 2005 BRAC, including affected wage grade employees at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (JB MDL); and
- Author and secure passage of an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act directing the Department of Defense (DoD) to establish goals for competition in contracting as it relates to contingency operations overseas.