WASHINGTON – In case you missed it, U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons and Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester (all D-Del.) published an op-ed today in The News Journal praising the start of work on the new Armed Services Whole Blood Processing Laboratory-East (ASWBPL-East) facility that will soon come to Dover Air Force Base.

The delegation secured more than $30 million in congressional spending to fund construction of this facility in President Biden’s 2024 National Defense Authorization Act. The new facility will further advance Dover Air Force Base’s role as a key military installation that serves 11,000 airmen, their families, and other service members around the world.

DNJ: Dover Air Force Base will now provide our troops with essential blood, healthcare

Dover’s new facility will provide blood and blood products to more than just service members, too. Military family members, veterans, and civilians in places affected by natural or manmade disasters, both domestically and abroad, can all receive blood from the ASWBPL-East. Streamlining the blood distribution process helps not just our active service members but veterans and their families as well.

Funding wins like the new ASWBPL-East facility happen because Delaware has a united congressional delegation that recognizes Dover’s importance to our state. From Senator Carper’s military experience as the Senate’s only Vietnam veteran to Senator Coons’ invaluable seat on the Senate Appropriations Committee to Congresswoman Blunt Rochester’s work on health and the economy on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, we’ve worked through the congressionally directed spending process to secure targeted victories and get funding to places where it can make an impact.

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The new ASWBPL-East in Dover represents not only the U.S. military’s recognition of Dover’s superior logistics capabilities, but an investment in Delaware’s future. Right now, when the military needs to move troops or materiel, or when it requires a respectful return for our departed heroes, it turns to Dover. The base is Delaware’s window to the world, and its new lifesaving mission amplifies a critical role on the military stage.

Read the rest of the op-ed here.