ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE - In what almost certainly will be a chief cornerstone for the future of Robins Air Force Base, a bipartisan team of Georgia lawmakers has apparently secured $21 million to build a new software support facility.

The funding was included in the final conference report for the 2007 Defense Authorization Act approved by the U.S. House and Senate on Friday.

U.S. Rep. Jim Marshall, D-Ga., and Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., are credited with securing funds for the landmark project - Marshall, $7 million in the House; Chambliss, $14 million in the Senate. Although final approval must await adoption of the Military Construction and Quality of Life Appropriations Act, Marshall said he had few doubts that the funding line would hold.

"It's not as sure as the sun rising tomorrow, but it's pretty sure," he said by telephone late Friday. "There is unanimous agreement among those who have control of this that the final military construction budget will reflect what was authorized."

Overall, Robins is set to gain $59.6 million in new construction projects from the 2007 legislation, including $30 million for an advanced metal finishing facility and $8.6 million for a new Depot Maintenance Support Hangar.

But the software complex - not in the original package but the No. 1 need at Robins - is unquestionably the top prize.

Robins spokesman Maj. John Bryan said the new capability is critical to meeting the needs of the warfighter.

"It is a step in support of our center's transformation," he said, "and will allow us to increase the software support we provide for electronic warfare, special operations, Joint STARS and the F-15."

Marshall said the new complex will enable Robins to reinforce and possibly expand its position as the electronic warfare and general software support center for the Air Force.

"It pretty much guarantees we will remain the center of excellence for the Air Force, and we might head in the direction of being the center of excellence for all of the Defense Department," the congressman said. "That should be our next objective. We're in a joint world now, and there's no reason why software engineers at Robins shouldn't be working for the other service branches."

The former Macon mayor said funding would not have been secured without Chambliss' work in the Senate. "It was two houses, two parties and it was something not typically done," Marshall said. "It was the only thing in the conference report that was modified like this. It was great teamwork."

In a news release issued late Friday, Chambliss said the new facility will ensure Robins remains on the cutting edge of software work.

"This will enable Warner Robins Air Logistics Center to bring in additional core capability to support the current shortfall in software by providing additional capacity," the senator said.

Clyde Taylor, Chambliss' military assistant, said the new facility continues Robins' software momentum. "The only software facility currently being built is at Hill Air Force Base in Utah," he said. "If we didn't get one at Robins, a lot of software work - which is really the work of the future - would have gone there. So we fixed that. There was a lot of hard work on Saxby's part."

Bill Johnson, chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Ga., confirmed that the authorization vote could be modified by the pending appropriations bill.

"So there is still a little asterisk next to this (the software facility for Robins)," he said. "We're confident this will work out in the end, but it's not over until it's over." Kingston is also credited with pushing the project through the approval process.

Marshall praised Gen. Bruce Carlson, commander of Air Force Materiel Command, and Robins officials - specifically Maj. Gen. Mike Collings and Maj. Gen. Tom Owen. Collings is the former Warner Robins ALC commander and Owen is his successor.

"I was very impressed with the responsiveness of Gen. Carlson and his staff as well as Gens. Collings and Owen and their staff," he said. "This effort had many twists, turns and unexpected events and without their help we wouldn't have been able to pull this off. It just wouldn't have happened."