On Friday, May 20, Congressman Jon Runyan, from New Jersey’s 3rd Congressional District, attended the American Society of Military Comptrollers (ASMC) luncheon at the Ocean County Vocational and Technical School’s Culinary School located on the Lakehurst section of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst.

Runyan, serving his first term in Congress, has been appointed to serve on three key committees: the House Armed Services Committee, the Veterans Affairs Committee and the Natural Resources Committee. While attending the annual comptroller luncheon, Runyan participated in a presentation with Denise Ackerman of the ASMC in donating $500 to the American Red Cross. In his remarks, Runyan applauded the key contributions and dedicated efforts of all the Joint Base employees in support of the Department of Defense mission. He also noted the significant economic impact of the Joint Base as the largest employer in the central and southern New Jersey area.

While at the base, Runyan also made his first visit to tour and receive briefings on the Naval Air Systems Command’s (NAVAIR) facilities at Lakehurst. He was hosted by Rear Adm. Randy Mahr and Capt. Drew Swenson and visited several technical labs and engineering facilities, to include the newly installed Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) and the Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG) system that is scheduled to be installed on the next generation aircraft carrier slated for commissioning in 2015.