Gov. Patrick and Sen-Elect Warren to Attend National Guard Headquarters Grand Opening

Gov. Deval Patrick and incoming Sen. Elizabeth Warren will attend the grand opening of the Massachusetts National Guard Joint Force Headquarters at Hanscom Air Force Base Thursday morning, according to a press release from the National Guard. 

The headquarters, which has been operational since Nov. 5, will serve the Massachusetts National Guard and Military Division as a state of the art facility to "continue its mission to train as a joint war-fighting force," according to the release. 

The grand opening comes on the 376th birthday of the Massachusetts National Guard. 

"During construction, more than 250 jobs were created to build and design this
structure, and it will support the Mass. Guard's effort to add 150 new jobs
to our state-wide end-strength in 2013," according to the press release. 

The new headquarters will also maximize the use of green technology, according to the press release. 

The grand opening follows the announcement by Patrick and Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray of the Military Asset and Security Strategy Task Force earlier this year.

The task force is aimed to protect and promote the Commonwealth's military bases in the face of $500 billion in federal defense spending by the U.S. Department of Defense.

"Hanscom Base is a huge employer across the state, and it is important now more than ever to make sure we're doing everything we can to make sure we are protecting those who work and live here," Murray said in an interview with Bedford Patch in October.

The Pentagon has also requested a Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) to close or consolidate military bases across the country.