WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — Robins Air Force Base could be on the forefront of the 'future' of military technology.
That's according to Georgia's two U.S. senators, Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, who paid a visit to the base Wednesday. With them was Rhode Island U.S. Senator Jack Reed, who heads the Senate's Armed Services Committee.
The senators toured the base and saw demonstrations from base leaders on why Robins is important to the Central Georgia economy.
'Impressed,' is one word all three senators used after their base visit.
"Robins is a crown jewel of middle Georgia," Sen. Warnock said.
"We appreciate the command, the staff and the extraordinary men and women who work at Robins Air Force Base," Sen. Ossoff said.
Leadership and growth were common themes of their press conference Wednesday afternoon at Warner Robins city hall.
"This was a tremendous opportunity for me to see first hand a little bit of the future of the Air Force, of the Department of Defense," Sen. Reed said.
The visit focused on the importance of Robins in the Central Georgia economy, making sure it's around for years to come. They say more growth is on the way with new technology.
"The future of conflict as someone told us, one of the briefers, is going to be decided in the electronic domain," Sen. Reed said.
More specifically, they'll focus on software that allows all branches to communicate with each other directly.
"This means jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs in tech and the area of STEM," Sen. Warnock said about the plans.
That's because they say Robins is at the forefront of developing that technology.
"There were a group of scientists from MIT who talked about, 'Well, what are the cities that are well positioned to be these regional tech hubs?' Well, Warner Robins is on the list," Sen. Warnock said.
Those regional tech hubs are part of the CHIPS Act, which passed a few weeks ago. All three senators say Warner Robins' position as a leader in tech will be a huge boost to Central Georgia's economy.
The senators didn't specify how many jobs may be on the way, but they say the most needed positions are in coding and artificial intelligence.