- 02.15.2013
Montana delegation pushes Walsh for Air Force Commission
Tester, Baucus, Daines: Montana Lt. Governor ‘ideal candidate’
(WASHINGTON D.C.) – Montana’s Congressional delegation is standing together to make sure a Montana voice is part of a national commission examining the future of the U.S. Air Force.
Senators Jon Tester and Max Baucus, along with Representative Steve Daines, are urging President Obama to nominate Montana Lieutenant Governor John Walsh to the panel. The commission will determine how the Air Force should meet future force requirements and save money.
Tester, Baucus and Daines say Walsh, who served as the Adjutant General of Montana from 2008 to 2012, is the commission’s ‘ideal candidate.’
“We are proud to recommend the nomination of Brigadier General John Walsh,” Tester, Baucus and Daines wrote. “Drawing upon his vast command experience and his keen awareness of force structure requirements, and the working relationships he has formed with military and civilian leadership, we believe General Walsh would be an ideal candidate for this Commission.”
Walsh retired from the military last year as a Brigadier General after 30 years in the Army National Guard. He commanded the 163rd Infantry Battalion during a tour in Iraq in 2004 and 2005.
“I would like to thank Senator Tester, Senator Baucus, and Representative Daines for their confidence in me and nominating me to this important commission,” Walsh said. “It would truly be an honor for me to continue to serve the citizens of Montana and the United States in this capacity and to be involved in determining how the United States Air Force is structured to meet our future needs and requirements.”
The Montana Air National Guard, based in Great Falls, is home to an F-15 fighter mission. Tester and Baucus have long-fought to ensure a manned flying mission at MANG.
The panel, known as the National Commission on the Structure of the Air Force, will be composed of four members appointed by the President and four members appointed by Congressional leaders. It was created by the defense authorization bill that became law in January.
The delegation’s letter is available below.