Congressman Mark Alford, who represents Missouri’s Fourth Congressional District, has announced the introduction of a military advisory committee.
Missouri’s Fourth Congressional District has a significant military presence in the state. Two of Missouri’s three military bases, Whiteman Airforce Base and Fort Leonard Wood Army Base, are located in the Fourth District.
Alford serves on the House Committee on Armed Services. The Committee is in charge of funding and overseeing both the Department of Defense and all six branches of the U.S. Armed Forces. Most notably the Committee, along with the Senate Armed Services Committee, authorizes the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
The NDAA for the 2024 fiscal year was signed by President Joe Biden back in December, but work for the NDAA for the 2025 fiscal year will start very soon.
This is not the first time Alford has made military-related issues a priority. Last April he wrote a letter to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs concerning travel reimbursements for veterans in his districts. Soon after that, he joined Missouri’s Congressional Delegation to urge the Chair of Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies to support funding for Fort Leonard Wood.
Now he is putting together a committee to help advise him as various military-related issues, many of which may affect Missouri, make their way through Congress.
“I’m honored to receive the counsel of several members of the Missouri defense community to provide advice on national security issues. I’m committed to being the voice for Missouri’s Fourth Congressional District, and this Military Advisory Committee will help me fulfill that goal as I represent Missouri defense assets,” Alford said.
Currently, there are 20 members with various military backgrounds and experiences on the advisory committee. Members include:
- Dorsey Newcomb – Executive Director of Leonard Wood Institute / Sustainable Ozarks Partnership
- Joseph (Joe) Driskill – Senior Advisor to Fort Leonard Wood, Leonard Wood Institute / Sustainable Ozarks Partnership
- General Frank Grass – Former Chief National Guard Bureau and member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
- Charles Williams Jr. – Former Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Energy, Installations and Environment)
- Taylor Burks – Former primary opponent, Navy Lt. Commander in U.S. Navy
- Greg Frencken – President of Whiteman Leadership Council
- Suzanne Taylor – Part of Strategic Deterrent Coalition and Executive Director Warrensburg Chamber of Commerce
- Randy Alewel – Retired Missouri Army Guard Brigadier General and owner of Alewel Meats in Warrensburg
- Mark Riselli – Served at Whiteman, currently employed at Honeywell (Retired Colonel USAF, former WAFB 509th BW Maintenance Group Commander)
- Bill Irwin – Former primary opponent, Navy Seal
