Ohio lawmakers are presenting a united front in efforts to get a missile defense base located at Camp Ravenna in Northeast Ohio.
The Ohio House of Representatives voted unanimously on Wednesday to pass SCR 8, which calls on the U.S. Missile Defense Agency to select Camp Ravenna for a future East Coast missile defense system.
Other areas under consideration include Fort Custer in Michigan and Fort Drum in New York. Existing missile defense bases are located in California and Alaska.
Camp Ravenna, an Ohio Army National Guard site in Portage and Trumbull counties, is currently being used to train troops prior to deployments and for routine military exercises. The resolution is nonbinding, but if the camp is selected, Ohio would benefit from hundreds of new jobs.
“Camp Ravenna is uniquely positioned to be a strong site for selection because of its geographical location and surrounding military, technological and transportation assets,” said state Rep. John Boccieri. “Not only would our area benefit from the economic impact, but the impacts to our regional security cannot be delayed with a growing missile threat from North Korea.”
SCR 8 passed the Ohio Senate in June and now awaits a signature from Governor John Kasich. State Sen. John Eklund said he expects the final decision will come in the next month.
