Thank you, Daryl.

Thank you to Senator Heinrich and Senator Lujan for joining us today and for all you do to support the NNSA mission in New Mexico and around the world, and thank you to the other state and local leaders joining us today.

I would also like to extend a warm welcome to my predecessor as NNSA Administrator, Lisa Gordon-Hagerty. You were here to oversee the groundbreaking ceremony, and I’m so glad you are here today to celebrate its dedication. Your dedicated support was critical to the completion of this project.

Frank Klotz, Lisa’s predecessor, is unable to be here today due to a long-planned vacation with his wife, but his foresight and early advocacy were also essential to the success of this project.

And thanks to everyone here today to celebrate a beautiful building, and to honor the legacy of a great American and the first visionary leader of NNSA.

The John A. Gordon Albuquerque Complex provides a 330,000-square-foot, state of the art home for NNSA’s more than 1,200 staff here in Albuquerque, including the Sandia Field Office. This is modern infrastructure capable of supporting a flexible enterprise and developing a top-tier workforce. It is exactly what we need at this moment in time.

I know from first-hand experience over the time I spent here in Albuquerque that the current NNSA space is inadequate, and that this new facility will provide the type of space to accomplish the wide range of missions here including the Office of Secure Transportation, the folks who provide Weapons Development program oversight, and many other critical functions performed for NNSA here in Albuquerque.

Most of our buildings in the current Complex started life as military barracks in the early 1950s. They are well past their intended lifespan and cannot support our expanding mission requirements. By combining those 25 buildings into a single facility, we can simultaneously reduce our total deferred maintenance by almost $40 million while providing modern, safer, and more efficient working conditions in a building that meets Energy and Environmental Gold Design specifications.

I would like to thank Jeff Harrell for his tireless work on getting us to this point. As with all the things Jeff took on while he was at NNSA, he had both a vision for this building and the ability to work with folks throughout the system to ensure it happened.

It is also great to see members of the Integrated Project Team, the Complex Management Team, the Army Corps of Engineers, and Caddell Construction who put in thousands of hours over the last four years since we broke ground to bring this vision to life. Thank you all for your hard work. And for the air conditioning.

And, of course, none of this would have been possible without General Gordon.

In 32 years in the Air Force, as Deputy Director of the CIA, and as the first Administrator of NNSA, General Gordon embodied professionalism and dedication to public service. As Administrator, General Gordon worked to overhaul NNSA’s infrastructure. From our organization’s earliest days, he sought to build a system that would give Congress and the American people confidence in our mission. Above all, he was a devoted father and friend and mentor to many.

Two decades after his time at NNSA, we continue to build on his legacy and contribution to our Nation’s nuclear security.

I am especially grateful that General Gordon’s beloved wife, Marilyn, is with is today. Mrs. Gordon, we are honored by your presence and grateful for your own service to the nation alongside General Gordon.

Thank you, again, for the honor of being here today to inaugurate this building and recognize the life, achievements, and legacy of General Gordon.