U.S. Air Force General Herbert Carlisle (left) addresses the crowd as U.S. Rep. Mike Turner (center) and Colonel Leah Lauderback (right) look on.

Jonathan Gallardo | Greene County News The ceremony was moved indoors due to uncooperative weather.

A rendition of the new foreign materiel exploitation building.

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE – The National Air & Space Intelligence Center broke ground on its new Foreign Materiel Exploitation Complex Friday morning at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

During the groundbreaking ceremony, Colonel Leah Lauderback and U.S. Rep. Michael Turner made remarks preceding the keynote speaker, U.S. Air Force General Herbert Carlisle.

Turner said the event was noteworthy, pointing out that “there aren’t many groundbreakings like this happening across our defense enterprise, and certainly this is a great recognition of NASIC’s contribution.” The former mayor of Dayton also said that the new facility would benefit the community.

“As potential adversaries, such as China and Russia, continue to develop and invest in cutting-edge technologies, it’s critical that we maintain a robust exploitation capability here at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base,” he said. “The new FME building is a victory for Dayton, as it once again solidifies our community’s position as a national leader in foreign aerospace intelligence gathering.”

Gen. Carlisle, the current commander of Air Combat Command at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia, commended NASIC on its work in defending this country.

“What you give us is an advantage against every adversary out there. It doesn’t matter whether you’re talking about China or Russia, North Korea or Iran, ISIS, whatever it is, the advantage NASIC gives us because we know our enemy cannot be overstated.”

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) worked to secure the $29.5 million needed to construct the building.

“The highly specialized work done by the men and women of NASIC plays a crucial role to ensure our national security,” Brown said. “This addition to the Foreign Materiel Exploitation Laboratory will further strengthen the United States’ technological intelligence and keep Americans safe. I will continue to work to ensure that Wright Patterson remains a hub for science, technology, research, and development.”

Construction on the 58,000-square-foot building will take two to three years to complete and will triple the size of the current facility while doubling the amount of lab space.