Photo By Paul Shirk | Jeremy Hilton, Defense-State Liaison Office South-Central Regional liaison, center,...... read more read more
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Commanders from around the state met at Tinker Air Force Base Oct. 24, 2024, for the Oklahoma Commanders Summit.
Held in person for the first time in four years, the commanders and representatives from civilian agencies that work hand-in-hand with the military discussed issues of common concern and best practices, as well as legislative issues in the state that affect the military, service members and their families.
“It is important that we as leaders of our respective installations know each other and what issues we are facing so that we as a team can come together to advocate for solutions as a group rather than working an issue alone,” said Col. Abby Ruscetta, Tinker Installation and 72nd Air Base Wing Commander.
Attendees included leadership from Tinker AFB, Fort Sill, McAlester Army Ammunition Plant, Vance AFB, Altus AFB, 137th Special Operations Wing, the 138th Fighter Wing, and the Oklahoma Army National Guard from the 90th and the 45th. They were joined by leaders from the Oklahoma Strategic Military Planning Commission, Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission, Oklahoma Department of Commerce and the Oklahoma Defense-State Liaison Office.
“We want to ensure that your voice and your family’s voice has an opportunity to be heard by the state leaders,” said Jeremy Hilton, Defense-State Liaison Office, who briefed commanders on the status of military issues in the state and throughout the country.
And there are a lot of voices in Oklahoma. According to the Defense Manpower Data Center, 18,737 Active Duty members and 20,960 Active Duty spouses and children reside in the state. The numbers for National Guard and Reserve are 20,300 and 21,153, respectively.
As military families move from state to state, they can face issues not typically experienced by families who permanently reside in a single state, such as differing school requirements from state to state, access to childcare, and the portability of professional licensure for spouses who change jobs after a service member’s Permanent Change of Station. These are examples of issues that have been addressed through defense/state cooperation efforts like the Oklahoma Commanders Summit.
At the conclusion, a unified executive summary was written and will be sent to the state legislative and executive branches so they can be made aware of the issues facing Oklahoma military installations.
| Date Taken: | 11.12.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 11.13.2024 12:09 |
| Story ID: | 485175 |
| Location: | TINKER AFB, OKLAHOMA, US |
| Web Views: | 69 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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Tinker Air Force Base
