Pool Reports by S.V. Dáte, HuffPost
| Sent: | Reports: |
| May 3, 2022 07:04 EDT |
WH travel pool report 1. — background Per the WH press office: The President will travel to Troy, Alabama to visit a Lockheed Martin facility that manufactures weapon systems such as Javelin anti-tank missiles, which the Biden-Harris Administration has been providing Ukraine and the Ukrainians have been effectively using to defend their country against the Russian invasion, including to win the Battle for Kyiv. The facility the President will tour has produced more than 50,000 Javelin missiles over the last 20 years and employs approximately 600 employees. ** EMBARGOED UNTIL 6:00 AM EDT, TUESDAY, MAY 3** BACKGROUND MEMORANDUM TO: Out-of-Town Pool FROM: White House Press Office DATE: May 3, 2022 RE: Background on President Biden's Visit to Troy, Alabama Lockheed Martin's Pike County Operations Established in 1994, the Pike County Operations facility is a manufacturing, final assembly, and storage operation for many of the missile programs supported by Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. Located in Troy, Alabama, the facility sits on nearly 4,000 acres of land, with 52 buildings, including approximately 923,843 square feet of space. Since it was established, Pike County Operations has produced nearly 190,000 missiles, including more than 50,000 Javelin missiles. This facility supports the final assembly of many Lockheed Martin missiles including Javelins, Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missiles, Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSM), Long- Range Anti-Ship Missiles (LRASM), Joint Air-to-Ground Missiles (JAGM), and HELLFIRE missiles. Pike County Operations also houses the manufacturing of missiles and hardware for a variety of development programs. The employees and facility have won multiple awards for program performance, quality, and security. Workforce Composition The Pike County Operations facility employs approximately 600 direct and contractor employees, including 265 who support Javelin production. More than 50 percent is touch labor with the other 50 percent consisting of direct support, including engineering, operations, supply chain management, security, safety, and finance. Economic Impact Lockheed Martin has brought nearly 3,000 jobs to Alabama, with an economic impact of more than $900 million since the inception of the Pike County Operations facility. Production Capacity The Pike County Operations facility produced nearly 13,000 total missiles in 2021. Currently, the facility has the capacity to produce up to 2,100 Javelin missiles, 468 JASSM and LRASM missiles, 11,000 air-to-ground missiles, and 96 THAAD missiles per year. ** EMBARGOED UNTIL 6:00 AM EDT, TUESDAY, MAY 3** Javelin This weapon is a lightweight, man-portable, shoulder-fired, fire-and-forget medium anti-tank weapon system designed to provide high lethality against all known and projected threat armor. It can hit targets up to 2.5 miles away, and has been used very effectively by the Ukrainians to defend their country against the Russian invasion, including to win the Battle for Kyiv. The Ukrainian military has made extensive use of Javelins to damage Russian tanks and artillery throughout the conflict. Lockheed Martin manufactures the Javelin missiles as part of a joint venture with Raytheon Missiles and Defense, which manufactures the Command Launch Units (CLU) in Tucson, Arizona. The Javelin missile all-up rounds—combined missile and CLU—are final assembled at Lockheed Martin's Pike County Operations facility. Through eight Presidential Drawdowns under President Biden, over 5,000 Javelin missiles have been transferred to Ukraine from U.S. stocks and nearly 500 more from allies and partners. POTUS Remarks The President will deliver remarks about the security assistance the Biden-Harris Administration is providing Ukraine, and he will highlight his request to Congress to pass funding quickly to help Ukraine continue to succeed against Russian aggression and to make sure the United States and our allies can replenish our own stocks of weapons to replace what we have sent to Ukraine. The President will underscore the role that the men and women who work at the facility in Alabama making these weapons have had on the fight in Ukraine. The President will also highlight how important it is for Congress to move quickly to get the Bipartisan Innovation Act to his desk. Each Javelin missile requires more than 200 semiconductors to make. Boosting domestic chip manufacturing isn't just critical to making more in America or lowering prices—it's also a vital component of our national security. Passing the Bipartisan Innovation Act means America will stay on the cutting edge of new technologies, it means stronger, more resilient supply chains, and it means outcompeting the rest of the world for decades to come. |
| May 3, 2022 10:39 EDT |
WH travel pool report 2 — loading for motorcade The president is traveling out to Joint Base Andrews this morning via motorcade rather than helicopter. At 1029, pool has been loaded into the press vans for the ride out. |
| May 3, 2022 11:00 EDT |
WH travel pool 3 — motorcade departure President Biden emerged from the West Wing into the alley* between the White House and the EEOB at 1058, in a gray suit and a wave to the pool van, and climbed into his limousine. At 1059 we are underway toward Joint Base Andrews. (*Per my colleagues, the alley's official name is West Executive Avenue.) |
| May 3, 2022 11:09 EDT |
WH travel pool report 4 — travelers list Per the WH press office: Traveling with the President to Troy, Alabama today: Deputy Secretary Kathleen Hicks, Department of Defense Greeting the President on arrival at Joint Base Andrews: Colonel Matthew Jones, Commander, 89th Airlift Wing |
| May 3, 2022 11:41 EDT |
WH travel pool report 4a — correction to travelers list Per the WH press office: Bruce Reed, Assistant to the President & Deputy Chief of Staff, is traveling Steve Ricchetti is not traveling |
| May 3, 2022 11:36 EDT |
WH travel pool report 5 — "Fundamental shift in American jurisprudence" President Biden spoke to reporters under the wing for approximately 5 minutes about the leaked abortion draft opinion. WATCH CABLE TV TO GET FULL AUDIO He said that if the opinion is adopted by the court, it would represent a "Fundamental shift in American jurisprudence" and erode any number of rights to privacy, including same sex marriage, even birth control. "I'm not willing to leave that to the whims of the public in local areas" The motorcade arrived at Andrews' tarmac at 1119 following an uneventful drive on closed off- highways and roads. President Biden boarded the plane through the forward door at 1129 after climbing up the boarding ladder after his remarks. We are traveling aboard one of the larger planes, a modified Boeing 747, tail number 28000, for the flight to Alabama. Note that White House press secretary Jen Psaki is scheduled to speak with reporters aboard the plane about one hour after we leave Andrews, per the White House press office. It can be heard live here: Pool recommends that those interested in what she says make a point of listening in, as these generally take place at the very end of the flight, just before pool must scramble to get on vans/Ospreys. We should be airborne shortly. |
| May 3, 2022 12:19 CDT |
WH travel pool 6 — arrival in Montgomery, gaggle topics Press secretary Jen Psaki took questions from traveling reporters for 16 minutes at the end of the flight. Topics included: - responses to a ruling overturning? Gender policy council and WH Counsel are looking at ways to help women in affected states. She noted that about half the states would see an end to abortion rights - Javelin plant visit - does it serve to escalate tensions? She said he is visiting to showcase US manufacturing and demonstrate resolve to help Ukraine, and no, he doesn't think it escalate Air Force 1 landed at Maxwell AFB in Montgomery, AL, at 1209 CDT after a 90-minute flight. No visitors from the front other than Psaki as noted above. Pool is now awaiting President Biden's emergence from the plane. |
| May 3, 2022 12:26 CDT |
WH travel pool 7 — departure to Troy The president stepped off the plane at 1219, came down the stairs and spent a few minutes chatting with AF personnel and two civilians. He then began walking toward Marine 1 parked about 200 feet away and pool is moving to our Osprey. We should be aloft toward Troy shortly. |
| May 3, 2022 12:36 CDT |
WH travel pool report 7a — greeters and travelers From the WH press office: Greeting the President on arrival at Maxwell Air Force Base: Steven Reed, Mayor of Montgomery Traveling with the President on Marine One en route Troy Municipal Airport: Deputy Secretary Kathleen Hicks, Department of Defense |
| May 3, 2022 13:00 CDT |
WH travel pool report 8 — arrival in Troy Marine 1 set down at Troy Municipal Regional Airport at 1251. The president stepped off the helicopter at 1257 stepped to his limousine, Alabama edition, for the ride to the Lockheed plant. At 1259 the motorcade is rolling. CORREX to travelers list: From the WH press office: Corrected: Traveling with the President on Marine One en route Troy Municipal Airport: Deputy Secretary Kathleen Hicks, Department of Defense Bruce Reed, Assistant to the President & Deputy Chief of Staff Jon Finer, Assistant to the President & Principal Deputy National Security Advisor Stephen Goepfert, Special Assistant to the President & Personal Aide to the President |
| May 3, 2022 13:17 CDT |
WH travel pool report 9 — arrival at Lockheed Motorcade arrived at the Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control's Pike County Operations plant just northeast of Orion, Alabama, at 1315 following a drive along largely deserted forested roads. Just a smattering of onlookers at the crossroads in Orion. No protesters seen. "Welcome President Biden" at the entrance to the Lockheed Martin complex itself. |
| May 3, 2022 14:28 CDT |
WH travel pool 10 -- Javelin plant tour, motorcade back to Troy The president took a tour of the newish Lockheed-Martin Javelin production plant, stopping at several work stations – each carrying labels like "Button 1," "Load Station 2" or "Gasline 1" – and spoke briefly to the techs, who explained what occurred at each stop. The building had painted concrete floors, exposed piping, steel roofs, with some work stations equipped with heavy duty vent hoods. The president took the tour sans mask, shaking hands and, as per usual, speaking so softly that it was difficult for pool to catch much of what he was saying. "You realize how many lives you've saved," Biden told one woman. "Tell you what, you make a gigantic difference to the rest of the world. Pool was led into a large factory floor that had been set up as an auditorium, with approximately 250 chairs arranged before a stage backed by a half dozen U.S. flags, stacked Javelin missile transport cases, and six missile launch tubes. At 1402, Biden began his remarks from behind his lectern, a teleprompter screen off to either side. "A lot of war crimes being committed." "Those Javelins I saw, there are 10 for every tank. We're changing people's lives." Said parents of newborns in Ukraine are naming them "Javelin" and "Javelinia" "There's an ongoing battle in the world between autocracy and democracy." Told his oft-repeated story about China's Xi telling him that democracies could not compete in the 21st century because they are too slow to move. "You're allowing the Ukrainians to defend themselves." So far the U.S. has committed 5,500 Javelins to Ukraine, and more than $3 billion in military aid thus far "That money is a direct investment in democracy and freedom itself." Again lobbied for his $33 billion package to send more weapons to Ukraine as well as replenish diminished arsenal here. Each Javelin contains 200 semiconductors, another reason to pass his proposal to increase production of computer chips in the US. Biden wrapped up at 1419 after speaking about 15 minutes. By 1425, we are back aboard the press vans and the motorcade is underway back toward Trump airfield. |
| May 3, 2022 14:30 CDT |
WH travel pool report 10a -- tour participants Per the WH press office: Pool movements/speakers at Lockheed Martin: Joining the President as he visits Lockheed Martin's Pike County Operations facility in Troy, Alabama: Stop 1: Assembling a Missile An overview of assembling the seeker, the warhead and the rocket motor of the missile. Additional participants: Stop 2: Loading a Missile A demonstration of how a finished missile is loaded into its launch tube. Additional participants: |
| May 3, 2022 14:32 CDT |
WH travel pool report 10b -- speakers Per the WH press office: In attendance for the President's remarks are 300 Lockheed Martin assembly line workers, managers, and leadership. Run of Show: |
| May 3, 2022 14:45 CDT |
WH travel pool report 11 — return to Troy airfield The president's motorcade pulled back into Troy's municipal airport at 1440. Pool is holding in the vans. |
| May 3, 2022 15:01 CDT |
WH travel pool report 12 — flight back to Montgomery The president participated in a photo line in an airport hangar with the following participants, per the WH press office: Participating in a photo line with the President at Troy Municipal Airport: Mayor Jason Reeves, Troy, AL At 1457, the president was walking back to board Marine 1, and the pool moved to reboard our designated Osprey and we are awaiting takeoff for the short flight back to Montgomery. |
| May 3, 2022 15:32 CDT |
WH travel pool report 13 — boarding AF1 for return to Andrews Marine 1 touched down at Maxwell AFB at 1521. The helicopter rolled down the tarmac and came to a stop six minutes later just ahead of Air Force 1. The president stepped out i to the heat, greeted a row of airmen officers, had a photo taken with them, and then walked to the boarding stairs for the plane and climbed aboard at 1531. He did not take questions from pool, and we are boarding the plane through the aft entrance. The plane should be en route back to DC within a few minutes. |
| May 3, 2022 15:40 CDT |
WH travel pool report 13a — greeters list Per the WH press office: Upon arrival at Maxwell Air Force Base, the President will be greeted by: |
| May 3, 2022 18:21 EDT |
WH travel pool report 14 — JBA arrival, motorcade to WH Air Force 1 was on the runway at Joint Base Andrews at 1808 EDT at the of an 87-minute, bumpy at times flight north from Alabama. The president stepped through the forward door at 1819, came down the stairs, greeted Col. Matthew Jones, commander of the 89th Airlift Wing, and climbed into his waiting limousine. No interaction with the pool, and at 1821 the motorcade is moving, destination White House. |
| May 3, 2022 18:44 EDT |
WH travel pool report 15 — return to WH and lid President Biden's motorcade pulled into the North Lawn driveway at 1842. He stepped out of his limo and walked into the front door at 1843. The White House press office simultaneously declared a travel photo lid. Thank you all for your interest and attention. Until next time. |
Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Pool Reports of May 3, 2022 Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/355710