Fong Leads Bipartisan Coalition to Bring F-35C Squadrons to NAS Lemoore

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressmen Vince Fong (CA-20), David Valadao (CA-22), and Jim Costa (CA-21) recently sent a letter to Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao urging the Navy to base seven F-35C Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter squadrons at Naval Air Station (NAS) Lemoore in California's Central Valley.

 The letter was also signed by California Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff, along with Representatives Tom McClintock (CA-05), Jay Obernolte (CA-23), Gil Cisneros (CA-31), Mark Amodei (NV-02), Jimmy Panetta (CA-19), Nicholas Begich (AK-AL), Young Kim (CA-40), Kevin Kiley (CA-03), Julia Brownley (CA-26), George Whitesides (CA-27), and James Gallagher (CA-01).

 NAS Lemoore, located in Kings and Fresno Counties, is the Navy's premier strike fighter installation and home to the largest Master Jet Base in the United States. The letter makes the case that NAS Lemoore is uniquely positioned to support the F-35C mission, citing the installation's capacity, community support, access to world-class training ranges, and significant recent federal investments.

 "NAS Lemoore has the capacity to support additional aircraft, has widespread community support, is located near critical Navy ranges that can bolster its mission, and has received significant federal investments in recent years," the letter states.

 Located near the R-2508 Complex at nearby NAWS China Lake, with over one million acres of overland range, the Point Mugu Sea Range comprising 36,000 square miles of open ocean, and NAS Fallon, which recently benefited from a major range expansion, the letter notes: "Whatever the mission, NAS Lemoore has access to world-class facilities that can support its objectives".

 The letter also highlights the federal government's significant recent investments in NAS Lemoore as evidence of its readiness to support the F-35C mission, including in Fiscal Year 2026, $55.542 million was appropriated for the Strike Fighter Center of Excellence and $17 million to design a new F-35 Maintenance Hanger. In recent years, $36.599 million was awarded for renovations to R.J. Neutra Elementary School, and $21.7 million was used to modernize Admiral Akers Elementary School.

 "These recent expenditures build on existing major investments that are already supporting the F-35C program at NAS Lemoore and serve as a foundation for future aircraft assignments," the letter states.

 The letter closes with a strong endorsement of NAS Lemoore's community and its servicemembers.

“Our communities are proud of the United States Navy and the important role the Navy plays in defending our country. NAS Lemoore is home to incredible men and women who proudly serve our nation, and there is no better place to base the Navy’s F-35Cs than NAS Lemoore.”

This letter comes in conjunction with a support letter by almost 30 local governments and community groups, demonstrating widespread regional community support. 

The support letter includes the County of Fresno, the County of Kings, the City of Clovis, the City of Coalinga, the City of Corcoran, the City of Dinuba, the City of Exeter, the City of Farmersville, the City of Fresno, the City of Hanford, the City of Kerman, the City of Kingsburg, the City of Lemoore, the City of Lindsay, the City of Porterville, the City of Reedley, the City of Tulare, the City of Visalia, the City of Woodlake, Kings County Association of Governments, Tulare County Association of Governments, RIDE Tulare County, the Workforce Investment Board of Tulare County, Kings County Economic Development Corporation, Tulare County Economic Development Corporation, Visalia Economic Development Corporation, Tulare Chamber of Commerce, Visalia Chamber of Commerce, the Visalia Convention & Visitors Bureau, and the Visalia Tourism & Marketing District.

Click here to view Rep. Fong’s letter, and here to view the regional letter.

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