To close out his congressional career, United States Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) has been taking a defense-focused tour of Ohio, and last week he made his sixth stop, visiting the Wright Patterson Air Force Base and the newly formed National Space Intelligence Center (NSIC).
The concept of the NSIC came into being under the Trump administration, but was officially activated on June 22, 2022, under the Biden administration. It serves as the Intelligence Center for the U.S. Space Force, the newest branch of the U.S. military. Similar operations had formerly been pursued under the auspices of the U.S. Air Force.
“I want to thank the folks at Wright Patterson Air Force Base for hosting me and providing a briefing on how new threats and opportunities will affect their mission,” Portman said. “It was inspiring to see all the important work done at the base. I will continue to advocate for all of Ohio’s defense installations through the rest of my term in the Senate so they can continue their work to keep all Americans safe.”
In addition to time spent at the NSIC and Wright Patterson, Portman also spent his trip taking briefings from the National Air and Space Intelligence Center (NASIC) and visited the Air Force Research Lab. Portman helped secure funding for NASIC’s Intelligence Production Complex in the FY2020 National Defense Authorization Act, leading to construction of a 250,000 square foot, five-story building to house more than 900 employees and a modernization of NASIC’s facilities.
The purpose of this trip is ostensibly for Portman to see the effects his advocate efforts have had — to look upon Ohio military projects that have successfully added jobs, economic growth and military capabilities to the region. According to a JobsOhio study in 2021, Ohio’s defense spending encouraged more than $39 billion in statewide economic impact and represents nearly 6 percent of the state’s economy.
Portman’s stops are expected to continue in the weeks ahead. Previously, he visited the Rickenbacker Air National Guard base, Battelle’s PFAS Annihilator, the Toledo Air National Guard base, NASA’s Neil A. Armstrong Test Facility and the Springfield Air National Guard 178th Intelligence and Reconnaissance Wing.