Area officials quickly hailed the promotion, pointing out the advantage of having a senior Air Force post held by someone who grew up in the Dayton area near Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, the largest single-site employer in Ohio.
Rep. Michael Turner, R-Dayton and chairman of the House subcommittee on Tactical, Air and Land Forces, congratulated Fanning on the promotion, saying he looks “forward to working with him in support of the Air Force and their mission at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.’’
Michael Gessel, a vice president in the Washington office of the Dayton Development Coalition, said Fanning’s “connection’’ to the Dayton area “gives him a more intimate perspective on the base and its role in the Dayton region. Secretary Fanning brings to his position broad experience in defense policy with a good dose of Midwestern common sense.’’
Fanning, a 1986 graduate of Centerville High and a 1990 graduate of Dartmouth College, has also served as deputy undersecretary of the Navy. Read his official biography here.
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