Congressman Kim Passes Amendment to
Strengthen Joint Base Resiliency

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the House Armed Services Committee unanimously passed an amendment by Congressman Andy Kim (NJ-03) as part of the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) markup to make military bases such as Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst more resilient to natural disasters. The NDAA is expected to be voted on by the full House next month

“We saw the impact of Superstorm Sandy on our community and the importance of our Joint Base in helping New Jersey recover,” said Congressman Kim. “This amendment will ensure that when the next Superstorm hits, our Joint Base is ready. I’m proud to support the men and women of our Joint Base and will always fight to ensure our servicemembers are prepared to handle any eventuality.”

The amendment directs the Department of Defense to conduct three additional “Black-Start” exercises on joint military installations. These exercises simulate the impact of an event that cuts electrical power to a joint base, such as a natural disaster, to better prepare base personnel for that possibility.

In addition, the amendment would require best practice sharing that will help base commanders implement proven strategies to build resiliency in the face of catastrophic events.

Congressman Kim is a member of the House Armed Services Committee, where he serves as the Vice Chair of the Subcommittee on Readiness, which oversees military construction, training and the BRAC process.

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