YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - U.S. Senator Rob Portman visited the Youngstown Air Reserve Station Friday morning and discussed the future of the base.

Earlier this year, Portman announced that the base would receive a $9.4 million upgrade thanks to the Senate passing the National Defense Authorization Act and the Senate Appropriations Bill for Military Construction.  

Portman said Friday that he is pushing to not only protect the 2,000 jobs at the base, but also to modernize its aircraft.

The base currently houses nine C-130 planes, but Portman expressed interest in replacing them with modernized versions.  

C-130 planes are used by the military for tasks such as oil spill management and tactical air missions.

Portman said he is also attempting to get a new firing range on the base.  

The firing range, according to Portman, would allow for practice on more sophisticated, bigger weapons as well as let reservists across the region train with local law enforcement agencies.

The Senator, who voiced security concerns in the wake of Thursday's Chattanooga shootings, says he wants reservists to be prepared in the event that there is a catastrophe or major security threat in our region.

The base has been under heightened security alert for the past year.