The newly formed caucus will serve a voice in Congress for hundreds of defense communities that support millions of military and civilian personnel

Washington, DC – Congressman Sam Farr (D-CA) and Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins (R-Kan) will co-chair the newly formed House Defense Communities Caucus, dedicated to supporting issues facing defense communities with closed or active military installations. The bipartisan caucus welcomes members of Congress interested in supporting the hundreds of defense communities that assist millions of military and civilian personnel.

“Defense communities play a critical role in supporting hundreds of military bases, and millions of military and civilian personnel,” said Congressman Farr. “The Defense Communities Caucus will serve as a unified voice in Congress in support of our defense community, and will work to foster partnerships between the military, private sector, and all stake holders. I am confident that together we can build strong defense communities that support our national security, as well as the overall well being of the surrounding areas they share.”

The Defense Communities Caucus will work to voice the unique issues facing defense communities with active and closed military installations, as well as create and strengthen partnerships between the private sectors, military installations and its communities. The caucus will also serve as a source of information for members of Congress on defense communities and their work to support service members and their families, as well as critical military civilian personnel.

"I am honored to be joined by Congressman Sam Farr as a co-chair and founder of the Defense Communities Caucus. This caucus will provide a unified and bipartisan voice for the hundreds of communities that host military installations, support those communities in their efforts to assist America’s troops, and raise awareness for the unique issues and challenges within these communities.  Kansas has a strong history of working alongside our military installations, and I look forward to sharing some of our best practices with other military communities and learning new strategies so we can all continue to improve our support for soldiers and their families,” said Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins.

Mr. Farr represents an area that includes Fort Ord, the largest base closure in the history of United States, and the active military installations: the Defense Language Institute, Naval Postgraduate School, Fort Hunter Liggett, Camp Roberts and Fleet Numerical. 

Ms. Jenkins represents the Second District of Kansas which is home to Fort Riley, home of the 1^st Infantry Division, commonly known as the Big Red One; Fort Leavenworth, host to the Army Command and General Staff College; Forbes Field; and over 11,500 National Guard and Reserve members.

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