LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — When it comes to national security, Nevada plays a much larger role than you might imagine.
In a press briefing on Thursday, U.S. military officials said crew members with local ties helped carry out the recent air strikes on nuclear facilities in Iran. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said, "most [of the pilots] were graduates of the Air Force Weapons School headquartered at Nellis Air Force Base."
I spoke to David Radcliffe, president of the Nellis support team, about the importance of the base when it comes to national security.
WATCH | President of the Nellis support team discusses base's crucial role
"Well, it was no surprise at all to me," Radcliffe said. "The weapons officers for the Air Force are trained here. We have a weapons school integration exercise that is the highest-level exercise the U.S. Air Force does. All the advanced training happens right here. It's absolutely irreplaceable. The range is like nothing else in the world. It's a national asset."
"There's nothing like it," he added. "There's no range like it. No Air Force base like it...there are about 190 airplanes on the ramp at any time."
And according to him, the scale of operations at Nellis Air Force Base is staggering.
"This is, I believe, the fourth largest air force [base] in the world — sitting right here," Radcliffe said.
But it's not just strategic — Radcliffe tells me that it's also economic.
"We could easily be talking about six to seven billion dollars to the local economy, just out of this base," he said.
Radcliffe says what Nellis teaches is shaping the future of warfare.
"We're teaching young captains and majors how to advise commanders so we can go out and knock it out of the park," he said.
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