Whiteman to receive Navy Seabee Headquarters Detachment

Published July 28, 2010

WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. -- Congressman Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) announced that the U.S. Navy is planning to locate a Seabee Headquarters unit at Whiteman Air Force Base, in a press release July 20.
Currently stationed at the former Richards-Gebauer Air Force Base in the Kansas City area, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion-15 (NMCB-15) provides rapid construction support for operational forces during regional contingencies, large or small.

NMCB-15 also supports disaster recovery and humanitarian operations, foreign or domestic, and is comprised of 17 active duty personnel and 497 reservists from five states (Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota). Around 100 reservists will operate from Whiteman during the unit's UTA weekends.

The unit joins 11 others from multiple service branches who currently call Whiteman home.

"Whiteman is a perfect location for this Seabee unit," said Congressman Skelton. "Thanks to land expansion in years past, the base is a prime location for new missions and can provide the needed security for Seabees to train and operate effectively."

As the Armed Services Committee Chairman, Congressman Skelton has been instrumental in bringing multiple missions to Whiteman; most recently the addition of MQ-1 Predator drone aircraft, expected to be operational by Feb. 2011.

"It is my dream that Whiteman be the premier Air Force base in our country. The relocation of the Seabee unit to Whiteman represents yet another step toward fulfilling this goal," the congressman said.

(Courtesy of Congressman Ike Skelton's Office)