Senator Rick Scott, alongside a bipartisan group of Florida colleagues, sent a letter to President Donald Trump on June 6, 2025, advocating for the deployment of F-35A Lightning II fighter jets to Homestead Air Reserve Base (HARB).
The legislators emphasized HARB’s pivotal role in national security and its strategic importance in countering threats in the Western Hemisphere.
The letter, co-signed by Senator Ashley Moody and Congressmen Mario Díaz-Balart, Gus Bilirakis, Neal Dunn, Carlos Giménez, Mike Haridopolos, Brian Mast, Cory Mills, Jimmy Patronis, John Rutherford, and Daniel Webster, thanked President Trump for his commitment to national security and a “peace through strength” approach. They argued that assigning F-35As to HARB would significantly advance this mission.
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The Florida delegation highlighted HARB’s multifaceted contributions to national defense, including its support for U.S. Southern Command, housing Special Operations Command South, and its vital role in interdicting narcotics and human trafficking through U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
They underscored Florida’s unique geographical position as a critical hub for countering the influence of China, Russia, Violent Extremist Organizations (VEOs), and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) in the southern hemisphere.
The letter detailed the success of counter-narcotics efforts in South Florida, citing the region’s designation as “High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area of the Year” and the disruption of 54 drug trafficking organizations in 2023, leading to the seizure of an estimated $748 million in illicit drugs.
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Furthermore, the lawmakers pointed to U.S. Southern Command’s efforts in tracking and thwarting Chinese expansion through its Belt and Road Initiative in Latin American countries, as well as counter-trafficking operations aimed at stabilizing South America. They also noted the recent presence of a Russian Surface Action Group near the Florida Keys as an example of ongoing threats that HARB is uniquely positioned to address.
HARB, the letter explained, generates significant economic benefit for the local economy, contributing $364 million in 2023. It is home to the 482nd Fighter Wing and its reserve associate, the 367th Fighter Squadron, which are responsible for F-16 alerts along the coastline. The base also houses the Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Branch and Special Operations Command South Headquarters.
The delegation noted that the 125th Fighter Wing Air National Guard (ANG) unit was already selected for the F-35A, with initial aircraft arriving in Jacksonville in March and an expansion to a detachment at HARB in 2027. The Air Force Reserve also plans F-35A modernization to replace aging F-16C fleets.
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The co-signers argued that a common fighter platform between the Reserves and National Guard at HARB would reduce costs and significantly increase readiness for North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) alert missions and global deployments.
“There is no real trade when comparing other airframes and locales to a multi-role fighter aircraft capable of countering Russian, Chinese, VEOs, and TCOs operations across the entirety of the Southern and Eastern U.S. border and throughout the Southern Hemisphere,” the letter stated.
In conclusion, the lawmakers urged the Trump administration to ensure the F-35A’s deployment to Homestead Air Reserve Base and to maintain undeterred F-35A production quantities, asserting HARB’s vital role in national security and the President’s “Peace through Strength” agenda.
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