Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst is getting ready to do something it has never done before.
On Oct. 4,, the base’s gates will open to elected officials and community leaders for its inaugural State of the Joint Base day.
The day will include mission and operational briefings by military members to increase public understanding of JBMDL activities and capabilities by its mission partners.
The Joint Base is the only tri-service base in the Department of Defense’s portfolio, meaning three military services branches are actively engaged there. The host service branch is the Air Force (McGuire), and it is joined by the Army (Fort Dix) and the Navy (Lakehurst). Contingents representing the other service branches are stationed on the base as well.
The Joint Base comprises more than 42,000 acres and is the state’s largest employer, after the state of New Jersey.
The discussions will include, among other things, the base’s mission to support national defense, its actions in response to natural disasters and its work with local communities.
Additional subjects to be discussed include how New Jersey companies can do business with the Joint Base and how they can hire military spouses — among the most highly educated and work-ready job candidates in the marketplace.
A lunch will follow the morning briefing sessions.
There will be tours of the Joint Base in the afternoon.
The State of the Base event will take place in Dock 1 — an aircraft hangar belonging to the 305th Air Mobility Wing. Doors to the hangar will be open during the event, so guests can view some of the static aircraft that will be on display that day. Guests are urged to dress for early fall weather.
Attendees have the option of staying for the morning briefings only or for the full day, which includes the immersive tour. Those opting for the tour will be required to stay for its duration.
For those interested in the full-day program, which includes the morning briefings and the afternoon tour, the registration is $75. Registration for those who prefer to attend only the morning briefings is $50.
Registration for active-duty members is $35.
All attendees will be required to comply with base access security regulations.
These regulations are described on the registration page for the Joint Base State of the Base event, which can be found on the Burlington County Regional Chamber of Commerce’s webpage here.
