On his May 27 stopover at Nellis AFB, Nev., President Obama described the base’s solar power effort as “the largest solar electric plant of its kind in the entire Western Hemisphere,” and one that will save the Air Force “nearly $1 million a year.” He declared that Nellis “serves as a shining example of what’s possible when we harness the power of clean, renewable energy to build a new, firmer foundation for economic growth.” Obama took the occasion to highlight the work that went into the Nellis solar project, which took about six months to complete and created some 200 jobs, as “the kind of foundation we’re trying to build all across America,” on the 100th day since he had signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. (President’s remarks and link to White House blog entry with photo of Obama checking out a Nellis fighter.)
The U.S. military is maintaining a beefed-up presence in the Middle East, including fighters and air defense assets, following the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities June 22 and subsequent retaliation by the Iranians against Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
