Obama's N.J. visit could affect Christie, refueling tankers

ASBURY PARK, N.J. — The hulking gray aircraft lined a portion of the the flightline at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst as Air Force One touched down Monday, perhaps just a customary display of hardware for a visiting dignitary or maybe more than that.

But did the commander-in-chief inside the presidential jet notice?

President Obama in his speech at the Joint Base Monday did not mention the planes, refueling tankers that the Department of Defense has considered retiring.

But jobs connected to the retirement of the KC-10 — and its impact on the mission of the base — are what's on the mind of many people here.

The refueling tanker means much to the base — half of them are stationed here. The jets and thousands of local jobs they support are caught in a squeeze between tightening budgets and the time lapse for bringing on the Air Force's next-generation tankers, base advocates say

Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J, wrote a letter to the president Friday, pushing to keep the tankers at the Joint Base.

"Eliminating the KC-10s would have a detrimental impact on the installation you will visit on Monday and serious negative consequences for the strategic capabilities of our military around the world," Smith wrote. "Accordingly, I am hopeful that you will seek a firsthand look at the capabilities of the KC-10 given the opportunity your visit presents and take this damaging proposal off the table as you draft the final FY 2016 budget request."

The joint base supports some 44,000 jobs and pumps about $6.9 billion into New Jersey's economy annually. What concerns Smith and others is that if the KC-10 is retired, it could negatively impact the base's air mobility and refueling mission.

Smith said that leading up to the release of the FY15 budget, Air Force and Department of Defense officials signaled the administration's intent to phase out the KC-10s. The tanker escaped the budget axe then, but Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel said the department would continue to review the retiring of the KC-10 in future budget years.

For Obama, the visit to Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst provided an opportunity for the president to formally thank three branches of the military simultaneously at a time when the war in Afghanistan is drawing to a close, said pollster Patrick Murray. The U.S. and NATO ceremoniously ended the 13-year combat mission in Afghanistan last week by lowering the flag at NATO's combat command center there.

The last time Obama came to New Jersey the state was still emerging from the effects of superstorm Sandy.

Obama went to the boardwalk May 28, 2013, and Gov. Chris Christie went with him, in a visit was meant to spur the Shore economy as the summer approached. Christie beat Obama in an arcade game where participants spiral a football through a swinging tire. Despite an 0-5 performance, Obama walked away with a teddy bear wearing a Chicago Bears sweatshirt.

The president was due to return this past October for a Democratic fundraiser. But that trip was canceled so he could speak to cabinet members about the response to the Ebola virus outbreak.

A year and a half after the Shore visit, Obama arrived at a time when New Jersey is still recovering from the storm and still struggling economically — especially with regard to job creation.

Christie is trying to recast his image as a bipartisan politician who can get thing done that he cast during the heady post-Sandy days, trying to recapture that moment that's known as the "Obama hug" — when Obama visited New Jersey after the storm. Bridgegate interrupted Christie's stride.

"He's trying to make that his calling card again," said Murray, the director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute.

And the KC-10 could matter. The further loss of jobs in New Jersey would not help him.

There was no actual hug at the Joint Base Monday. But the two men shared what appeared to be a laugh as Obama stepped down from the plane. And they shared a ride in the motorcade to the hangar where Obama gave his speech.