Michigan committee hears plan for roughly $1 billion Selfridge modernization tied to runway fix and new jets

Brigadier General Dan Kramer, commander in the Michigan Air National Guard, told the House Committee on Homeland Security and Foreign Influence that Selfridge Air National Guard Base is positioned for roughly $1 billion in federal and state investments to support incoming KC‑46 tankers and F‑15EX fighters.

Kramer said the modernization effort is tied to a longstanding runway ‘‘encroachment’’ problem: about 65 homes sit in the approach clear zone at the south end of the runway, which the Air Force has cited in environmental reviews as a reason Selfridge was not competitive for some fighter missions. ‘‘Before you can get any jets, you’ve got to get the runway fixed,’’ Kramer told the committee.

The work Kramer described includes shifting runway thresholds north to remove the clear‑zone homes, realigning Roso Highway, replacing or rerouting drainage, and adding new concrete so the base can safely operate heavy tankers. He said the runway work was designed so existing pavement is not lost and that the usable takeoff length from the north will exceed 10,000 feet — important for fully fueled KC‑46 tankers.

Kramer walked members through a line‑item breakdown he said underpins the near‑$1 billion figure: a roughly $218 million KC‑46 ramp/hangar military construction project; an approximately $190 million eight‑bay maintenance complex for fighters; an estimated $88 million to strengthen and resurface ramp pavements to support tanker weights; and additional sustainment and infrastructure upgrades (electrical, sewer, flood‑protection studies) that together make up a substantial portion of the total investment. Kramer cautioned the total could rise with inflation over five to seven years.

Committee members pressed Kramer on funding timing. He said Michigan’s $152 million state commitment for runway work helped open the door to federal military construction dollars: the federal budget included runway funds in a recent president’s budget item and the National Defense Authorization Act included authorization language for major hanger projects. Kramer said his office has already issued a request for proposals for construction managers on the runway and that the state contribution put the program roughly a year ahead of what federal receipts alone would have allowed.

‘‘We wouldn’t have been able to put funding on that runway’’ without state action, Kramer said, noting federal military construction dollars are subject to FY27 and later appropriations cycles. He described an ‘‘open faucet’’ of federal sustainment and construction funding that the state action made more likely, while reminding members that congressional appropriations remain required before all federal amounts become available.

Kramer also addressed how the new aircraft change missions. He told the committee the A‑10 is a premier close‑air‑support platform but lacks the electronic countermeasures and contested‑environment survivability of modern multi‑role fighters. The F‑15EX, he said, brings longer range, larger payload and self‑defense systems that allow operations in contested environments, while the KC‑46 serves as an airborne tanker and communications connector.

The briefing closed with Kramer stressing risks if the funding path failed: ‘‘We reduce capability on the national stage,’’ he said, adding that losing Selfridge’s recapitalization would be ‘‘failure’’ for the joint force posture in the region.

The committee did not take votes on construction or appropriations; Kramer’s testimony focused on technical scope, schedule and funding interactions. Next procedural steps Kramer described include finishing designs to the maturity required for military construction submissions and federal budget consideration in FY27 and FY28; the state procurement for the runway is already under way.

"The state covered it because they wanted to get the jets on time," Kramer said, summarizing why the state contribution was critical.