FORT SMITH -- During a visit to Fort Smith on Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Steve Womack expressed confidence about the case for the city to be the home of a training mission.
He made several stops in Fort Smith, including a tour of the Rheem Manufacturing Co. facility, where he spoke with journalists.
Womack said his visit to Fort Smith began with a discussion with representatives from the Arkansas National Guard and the 188th Wing, a unit in the Arkansas Air National Guard based at Ebbing Air National Guard Base in the city. The meeting centered on the ongoing process to possibly lure a Foreign Military Sales F-35 component and the basing of some F-16 aircraft from Singapore.
"This is an ongoing discussion, primarily led by the congressional delegation, Sens. [Tom] Cotton and [John] Boozman and myself principally involved," Womack said. "A decision will be forthcoming sometime during the winter, late this year, early next year, on which one of the five sites would be downselected as the winner, if you will, in this sweepstakes."
The base at Fort Smith Regional Airport was selected as one of five possible sites to host both F-35 planes and Singapore's F-16 squadron, according to Cotton's office in July.
Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett signed a memorandum on July 6 to establish a permanent Foreign Military Sales training center for 24 to 36 F-35 aircraft and Singapore air force F-16s based within the continental United States. Singapore's air force is an F-35 Foreign Military Sales customer that wants to have its F-16 squadron, currently at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona, with its F-35 aircraft at a long-term site.
"I think we make a great case for Fort Smith," Womack said. "We've had a manned flying mission here before. We have the infrastructure in place. We've got some of the best airspace capability in the entire country located right here. Obviously, there's some things that maybe we don't have that others might. ... But I think we make a great case for it."
Womack said he will be "very surprised" if Fort Smith is not one of the top two sites for consideration.
"We will work with the Air Force, all the way up to the secretariat level, and we will work with the Federal Aviation Administration, and the greater Fort Smith community, in making the best case we can for this facility," Womack said.
A visit at the airport will be conducted in some manner in October, according to Womack. Other people -- including Tim Allen, president and chief executive officer of the Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce; Fort Smith School District Superintendent Doug Brubaker; and Mayor George McGill -- will also be involved in the process.
"Part of our sales pitch is the quality of life that we have here in the greater Fort Smith area, not the least of which would involve what kind of schools do you have, what kind of higher education do you have, what kind of governance do you have, health care, all of the attributes of a good economic development platform, and we have those in Fort Smith," Womack said.
Hulman Field in Indiana, Buckley Air Force Base in Colorado, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland in Texas, and Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Michigan are also being considered for this mission, according to Cotton's office.
Regarding other elements of his visit, Womack described his tour of the Rheem facility as "fascinating." When asked about Rheem's adherence to regulations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stemming from the coronavirus pandemic, Womack said he saw proper social distancing everywhere in the plant, as well as the wearing of masks and other, normal protective equipment.
"This is a model facility for how to adhere to the CDC guidelines," Womack said.
Rheem produces residential and commercial water heaters and boilers, as well as heating, ventilating and air-conditioning equipment.
A news release from Womack's office said the congressman's schedule included meeting with members of the Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce and other community leaders to discuss "local development projects, economic growth and city planning issues."