Senator Lankford Welcomes First Sergeant Wyatt as Guest to Joint Session of Congress

WASHINTON, DC – Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today welcomed First Sergeant Larry “Dean” Wyatt (Oklahoma Army National Guard, Ret.) as his guest to the Joint Session of Congress at which North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg addressed both the Senate and House. Lankford met with 1st Sgt. Wyatt when he visited Kosovo in December 2016, where Wyatt served with the Oklahoma Army National Guard.

“I was grateful to get to meet 1st Sgt. Wyatt on a congressional trip to Kosovo in 2016, where, as a part of the peacekeeping operation there, he helped NATO’s mission of maintaining peace and security in the former war-torn country while assuring freedom of movement for US and NATO partners,” said Lankford. “Oklahoma’s men and women in uniform have made a significant investment in global peacekeeping. We understand the important strategic role NATO and its members play in promoting US security interests worldwide. I am grateful for 1st Sgt. Wyatt’s and many other Oklahomans’ work to help preserve peace.”

Lankford recently introduced a bipartisan bill to halt the sale of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to Turkey, a strategic NATO ally, until our government certifies that Turkey will not accept delivery of Russia’s S-400 air defense system. Under the US-led, multinational Joint Strike Fighter program, Turkey is expected to accept delivery of the F-35 as early as next fall. This week, Lankford and the other bipartisan authors of the bill applauded the Pentagon’s announcement that it would suspend deliveries and activities associated with standing up the F-35 in Turkey.

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