Rep. McDermott Leads NATO Tour of Western Washington Military Bases

Rep. Jim McDermott recently led a Congressional Delegation (CODEL) trip to showcase military installations in the region to visiting members of NATO’s (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) Defense and Security Committee.

At McCord Air Force Base, Rep. McDermott officially greeted The Honorable Julio Miranda Calha, from Portugal, the NATO delegation leader.

Inside Wing Headquarters, McDermott and a group that included members from 14 nations in the NATO Alliance listened to a briefing from the 62nd Air Wing and 446th Air Wing commanders.

The group was shown a giant U.S. Air Force C-17 that is the backbone of the cargo fleet.

An impressive aerial demonstration of the C-17’s capabilities to air drop vital equipment directly on a battlefield was given.

After the aerial demonstration, Rep. McDermott and the delegation boarded a C-17 for a short flight to Fort Lewis.

At Fort Lewis, Rep. McDermott speaks with Lt. Col. Nancy Grandy, Deputy Chief of Staff, I Corps and Fort Lewis, as the delegation sees members of the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division.

Rep. McDermott climbed inside a Stryker where he was briefed on the vehicle’s capability by Lt. Col. Adam Rocke, Commander, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division.

Brig. Gen. Jeff Mathis, Deputy Commanding General, I Corps and Fort Lewis, and Lt. Col. Adam Rocke, Commander, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division briefed the delegation throughout their visit.

The delegation saw a demonstration of Strykers being loaded on board the C-17 plane they had flown on.

The NATO delegation also visited the Boeing Renton facility, where they were briefed by senior executives, including Jean Chamberlin, Vice President and C-17 program Manager, and toured an assembly line.

The NATO Defense and Security Committee were scheduled to report their findings of their visit to fellow members during an upcoming meeting of the full Alliance in Brussels.