Top state officials, including Lt. Gov. Tim Murray, U.S. Sen. John Kerry and U.S. Rep. Niki Tsongas, toured the base yesterday morning as part of a grass-roots effort to build support for Hanscom.

Afterward, Murray and Tsongas led a meeting of a newly created task force that aims to protect thousands of military jobs in Massachusetts in the face of looming cuts to federal defense spending.

"Given the new strategy that the Defense Department is rolling out, we have a unique capability here both in our university and our research institutions, but also in the private sector," Tsongas said.


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Hanscom Air Force Base —
Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray toured Hanscom Air Force Base Monday, March 5, as part of his tour of military bases across the Commonwealth to build grassroots support to protect the missions, jobs and economic investments associated with the bases. Murray was joined on the tour by U.S. Sen. John Kerry, Congresswoman Niki Tsongas and Air Force base leaders.
Following the tour, Murray chaired a meeting of the newly created Military Asset and Security Strategy Task Force, which included a roundtable discussion at MIT Lincoln Laboratory, a defense company located near the base. Members of the task force were joined by state and local elected officials and representatives from local companies, business associations and community members.
“Through proactive planning, Massachusetts has and will continue to position the state to protect our military bases,” said Murray. “Massachusetts' strong military presence and related defense industry is critical to our economy and our residents. Through the work of this task force, the Patrick-Murray Administration will work tirelessly with our congressional delegation and partners across the state to keep Hanscom Air Force Base, the Electronic Systems Center and all of Massachusetts' military bases open and their missions intact.”
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"The reality is, tough budget choices will be made and we've got to be all hands on deck to ensure that the mission and workers at Hanscom aren't hurt in the process," said Kerry. "We've got a good story to tell and we're going to tell it, because technologies and equipment conceptualized, researched, developed and manufactured at facilities across Massachusetts help the military execute its mission at the highest levels. Lieutenant Governor Murray and I want them to know we get it and we know what their work means to our state, country and for national security."
"Massachusetts has the immediate ability to meet our country's national security needs in cyber technology, advanced manufacturing, bio-science and many other critical areas," said U.S. Sen. Scott Brown. "I will continue working at the federal level to spotlight the military value in Massachusetts and greater New England."