By JOE LoTEMPLIO
PLATTSBURGH — North Country Congressman William Owens will serve on two specific subcommittees of the House Armed Services Committee.
Owens was named to the Armed Services Committee last week, following in the footsteps of former Rep. Congressman John McHugh.
McHugh was the ranking Republican on the committee when he was selected by President Barack Obama to become the new secretary of the Army on June 2.
Owens, a Democrat from Plattsburgh, won the special election to fill McHugh's seat on Nov. 3.
He narrowly defeated Conservative Party candidate Douglas Hoffman in the 23rd District.
Republican Dierdre "Dede" Scozzafava dropped out of the race three days before Election Day and subsequently endorsed Owens.
The 23rd District includes 11 counties from Lake Ontario in the west to Lake Champlain in the east.
The district includes Fort Drum, home of the Army's oft-used 10th Mountain Division near Watertown.
In addition to serving on the Armed Services Committee, Owens will also serve on the Air and Land Forces Subcommittee and the Strategic Forces Subcommittee.
"I am eager to get to work protecting and strengthening Fort Drum and joining my colleagues to ensure that our fighting men and women have everything they need to complete their mission," Owens said in a statement.
Owens, an attorney, served in the Air Force at the former Plattsburgh Air Force Base in the mid-1970s.
The Air and Land Forces Subcommittee oversees the Army and the Air Force, including the 10th Mountain Division, the National Guard and modernization for air and land reserve forces.
The Strategic Forces subcommittee works on issues, including nuclear weapons, intelligence and military-space assets.
E-mail Joe LoTemplio at: jlotemplio@pressrepublican.com
