Fact Sheet: Senator Hatch’s Fight to Bring the F-35 to Hill
Senator Hatch and Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James Inspecting an F-35 at Andrews Air Force
Background
Senator Hatch has worked behind the scenes for years to lay the groundwork to bring the F-35 to Hill Air Force Base by helping to advance the program in the Senate and by working to ensure that Hill and the Utah Test and Training Range possess the capabilities needed to support this advanced weapons system.
For more than a decade, Senator Hatch has worked to highlight the unique capabilities of Hill Air Force Base to senior Defense Department officials, making the case that Hill should be chosen to receive the first operational squadron of F-35s.
The F-35 Program in the Senate
Military leaders have praised Senator Hatch as a champion the F-35 program in the Senate due to his support of key legislation and his role as an unofficial liason between military leaders and his Senate colleagues, helping to clarify certain aspects of the program and debunk misconceptions both behind the scenes and on the Senate Floor. Members of the Joint Executive Steering Board (JESB) for the Joint Strike Fighter Program, made up of all the Services’ 3-Star Generals, as well as the international partners’ equivalent officers, have repeatedly praised Senator Hatch for his advocacy for the F-35 program.
Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said “Senator Hatch is keenly aware that air superiority is a critical precondition to successful military operations and as such, has been instrumental in getting this much needed capability to our first operational location, Hill AFB."
Lieutenant General Christopher Bogdan, the head of the F-35 program, touted Hatch’s role in bringing the F-35 program to Utah. “I don’t think we could be where we are without him,” he asserted. “I think Senator Hatch is one of the finest gentlemen I’ve met in my entire life. He’s a fantastic leader, he is an honor to this country, and we need more like him. Second, he has done more in the Senate to dispel rumors about this airplane and to bring the truth and the facts out more than any other statesman I know of. He does it in a way that is trustworthy and credible, he deals with the facts, he gets above the politics, and he is a fabulous supporter of the airplane.”
General Herbert J. “Hawk” Carlisle, Air Combat Command Commander and 4-Star General, said, "The arrival of the first two operational F-35As at Hill Air Force Base is a significant milestone on our path to delivering Air Dominance for decades to come. The Lightning provides an increased lethality through advanced sensor fusion and survivability that is essential to our success against the growing number of globally advanced threats. We are extremely grateful to Senator Hatch, all the members of the state delegation and the people of Utah for their continued support as we work to answer our nation's calling both at home and abroad."
Utah Test and Training Range
The Utah Test and Training Range (UTTR) provides essential resources and capabilities for the United States Air Force. Here, our service members prepare and learn to adapt to constantly evolving threats by training with the latest fifth-generation weapons systems. The F-22 Raptor and the new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter are among the weapons systems critical to our national defense that utilize UTTR. But these new weapons steadily entering into operational use are vastly more sophisticated. Therefore, they require different capabilities than what UTTR has provided over the last 60 years.
To ensure that the Air Force has access to the necessary infrastructure to test the F-35 and train its crews for combat, Senator Hatch led efforts to expand the Range in a manner that preserves access for Utahns. The long-term viability of the UTTR and Hill Air Force Base — one of Utah’s largest employers — depends on it. Over the past year, Senator Hatch has worked hard to develop a proposal that will improve the UTTR’s capabilities with minimal effect on the use of and access to the land surrounding the range.
Throughout the development of his UTTR expansion proposal, Senator Hatch has worked to gather public input and ensure that the expansion of the range—a critical national security priority—does not come at the expense of Utahns who depend on the affected lands. You can find more about those efforts, including a link to Senator Hatch’s draft expansion proposal, here.
