Arnold Community Council discusses importance of AEDC with elected officials

Members of the Arnold Community Council walk through the snow and rain to Tennessee Tuesday, an event hosted by Tennessee Senators Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker. Front row, left: Mike Niederhauser, ACC chairman of the Legislative Affairs Committee and Mark Brandon, (ATA) ACC member; back row, left: Carter Sain, president of the Manchester Chamber of Commerce; Bruce Shaw, (Cohesion Force) ACC chairman of the Community Relations/Public Service Committee and Lynn Sebourn (Dynetics), Tullahoma Area Economic Development Corporation.

Arnold Community Council discusses importance of AEDC with elected officials

Arnold Community Council’s Team 4 make a presentation to Adrielle Churchill, the legislative counsel for Congressman Steve Womack. From left – Churchill, Ted Hackney (center), ACC member and executive director for the Industrial Board of Coffee County; and Team Captain Brian Skelton, (Tullahoma Utilities Board) ACC member and Air Force Materiel Command Community Leader.

Arnold Community Council discusses importance of AEDC with elected officials

Published April 2, 2014
By Kathy Gattis
AEDC/PA

ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, TENN. -- Twenty members of the Arnold Community Council (ACC) visited the U.S. Capitol last week to talk with lawmakers about Arnold Engineering Development Complex (AEDC) and the vital role the Complex plays in national defense.

ACC scheduled appointments with 26 senators and representatives and attended Tennessee Tuesday with Senators Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker. The group also worked with Congressman Diane Black to sponsor a free breakfast for elected officials and staff members and to promote the Congressional Range and Test Center Caucus (CRTCC).

The ACC met with Air Force leadership at the Pentagon, including the Air Force Chief of Staff Mark Welsh and representatives from Air Force Test and Evaluation, Acquisition and the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (OUSD).

In the last couple of years, ACC has tried to develop closer relationships with the support groups from Edwards and Eglin Air Force Bases. Edwards Air Force Base is represented by Jack Stewart, a member of Edwards's community support team and an ACC member. Stewart serves as liaison between ACC and Edwards Civ-Mil Council and Antelope Valley Board Of Trade (AVBOT).

As part of a cooperative effort with Eglin Air Force Base's support group, the Defense Support Initiative (DSI), several ACC members attended a special reception at the Canadian Embassy. The ACC and DSI have decided they will begin meeting on a quarterly basis to look for areas of collaboration to benefit each of the bases.

ACC President Ben Craig seemed happy with the results of the trip.

"I think it just gets better every year. As we learn more, we improve each year and once we arrived on the hill, we had very positive responses supporting the issues we brought forward (www.arnoldcommunitycouncil.com), and we received a lot of support for the top three items," he said. "We were asked to draft and submit several for possible inclusion in the National Defense Authorization Act in May."

"The ACC's efforts to promote the critical research and development of Arnold Engineering Development Complex have reaped dividends across our district and our state," Congressman Black said. "I am grateful for my close working relationship with the Arnold Community Council and the leadership of the ACC President Ben Craig. I look forward to their visit each year."

Black is the founder and co-chair of the CRTCC. The caucus was formed last year to improve understanding and awareness of the importance of major range and test facility bases across the country.

To find out more about the ACC or the proposals they took to Washington, D.C., visit www.arnoldcommunitycouncil.com.