Photo By Airman 1st Class Adisen Smith | Renna Hall dormitories are being renovated at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia,...... read more read more
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JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. – Since 2015, Joint Base Langley-Eustis has been granted $449.6 million in military construction funds to build new facilities and modernize the older infrastructure on base. The projects include the renovation of old dormitories, and the construction of the new F-22A Raptor Training Support Squadron facility and the 363d Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Wing targeting center.
MILCON funding is allocated to installations based on factors such as mission requirements, available resources, and facility conditions.
JBLE has the second-highest deficit in dorm capacity in the Air Force.
According to Lt. Col. Alexis Johnson, 633d Civil Engineering Squadron commander, the dormitories can only accommodate Airmen for approximately 8 to 10 months due to the limited space and new Airmen coming to the base.
“The Air Force Instruction says Airmen are required to stay on base for 36 months and we can’t keep them longer than 8 to 10 months,” exclaimed Johnson. “I don’t like pushing Airmen to leave the dorms so soon and forcing them to adapt to off-base living when they’re not ready,”
To expand housing availability and increase dwell times, JBLE is investing $86 million on the renovation of Renna Hall dormitories. The modernized building, slated for completion in August 2025 will accommodate an additional 144 Airmen.
The $74.5 million construction project will break ground this month and is estimated to be fully operational in May 2027.
The current training building has four F-22A Raptor simulators. According to Matthew Leeper, 633d Civil Engineering Squadron acquisition program manager, the current mission trainers are at full capacity.
The new facility will have an additional eight simulators, which will expand training resources, increasing operational capabilities.
“Without these new simulators, JBLE will face challenges in meeting the increased F-22A training demands and exposing personnel and aircraft to safety risks due to insufficiently trained flight crews,” said Leeper.
In addition to the F-22A Raptor TRSS-F, the 363d ISRW targeting center is being constructed.
The 363d ISRW is undergoing a $45.1 million construction which will result in an intelligence targeting center and will be fully functional in September 2025.
The targeting center will deliver content-dominant analytical expertise, full spectrum targeting, and special operations ISR support to the warfighter.
Currently, the 363d ISR Group Staff, 17th Intelligence Squadron, 36th IS, 363d Intelligence Support Squadron, and Airmen resiliency team are working at five different locations on base. With this building, they will all be able to work in the same building.
Over the next 20 to 40 years, It is planned to turn that area of base into an intelligence campus.
Additions to the campus will include dormitories, dining facilities and a fitness center.
“A lot of [intel] Airmen come to JBLE without a vehicle and are always seen riding their bikes or walking to work [on the other side of the base] every day, so we plan to build two more dormitories, a dining facility, and a Force Support Squadron-ran gym for those Airmen,” said Johnson.
In the long term, these military construction projects aim to improve living and working conditions for JBLE members, while ensuring efficient operations for America’s premiere power project platform.
| Date Taken: | 04.15.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 04.15.2024 15:25 |
| Story ID: | 468581 |
| Location: | HAMPTON, VA, US |
| Web Views: | 32 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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