Former Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) died Tuesday at age 89, as Military.com reported. He had suffered a stroke over the July 4th holiday, according to KOCO News 5.

Inhofe, an Army veteran who stepped down from the Senate in 2023 before the end of his fifth term, served as chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee from 2018 to 2020 and then as the committee’s top Republican.

A Champion for Defense Communities

He was a long-time advocate for a robust defense budget and defense communities in his state and across the country.

“I want to start with expressing that you guys need to know how great you are,” Inhofe told attendees at the 2019 Defense Communities National Summit, as On Base reported. “Some of the things you are doing are involved in gaining national attention. There is a sense of pride in having a military installation in your community, and it goes to the job you’re doing to get the benefits it brings.”

Inhofe, a recipient of ADC’s Congressional Leadership Award, was an early champion of the Defense Community Infrastructure Program, which continues to help defense communities ensure they are able to support their installations.

ADC photo from 2019 by Will Noonan