Sep. 15—Air Force and Space Force decision-makers will discuss Ohio's contribution to national security as the 2025 Ohio Defense & Aerospace Forum gets underway this morning at Wright State University.
The annual gathering is a chance to review the current defense landscape and Dayton's place in that.
The forum opens at a time when the Trump administration has been reducing workforce numbers across the government for months.
U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Dayton, has co-sponsored a legislative amendment that aims to limit any downsizing of military health care facilities, according to information shared by Turner's office before the forum opened.
Turner co-sponsored the amendment with a Kansas Republican, Rep. Derek Schmidt, requiring an impact report to Congress before any actions can be taken to reduce care provided at military treatment facilities.
Turner's district includes Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, which has the Air Force's second largest medical center. Schmidt's district includes Irwin Army Community Hospital at Fort Riley.
Wright-Patterson is an economic engine for Ohio and the Dayton area, with about 38,000 military and civilian employees, before this year's reductions.
The House passed its version of the fiscal year 2026 National Defense and Authorization Act, or "NDAA," last week with that amendment.
The Senate is expected to pass its own iteration of the NDAA in coming days, and then the two defense spending and policy packages must be reconciled by a House-Senate conference committee.
The newly named Department of War has lost 55,000 employees since January, the Federal News Network has reported, citing data from the Partnership for Public Service.
Space Force Brig. Gen. Robert Schreiner -the deputy director for operations, Operations Directorate, the Joint Staff, National Military Command Center in Arlington, Va. -is scheduled to give the forum's keynote address at 10 a.m.
Turner himself will speak, with addresses scheduled as well from Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine; J.P. Nauseef, president and chief executive of JobsOhio; and panels featuring the participation of Col. Kenneth Stremmel, commander of the National Air and Space Intelligence Center; and Col. Dustin Richards, 88th Air Base Wing commander.
The forum will be at Wright State's Student Union.
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