From staff reports

During a tour of hurricane-devastated Tyndall Air Force Base on Thursday, Vice President Mike Pence pledged to rebuild the base.

"President Trump and I are committed to providing the resources necessary to rebuild Tyndall Air Force Base so that it can continue to be a vital and critical part of our national defense," Pence said.

The base sustained extensive damage when Hurricane Michael made landfall near there as Category 4 storm on Oct. 10, with winds of more than 155 miles per hour.

Tyndall is a training base for F-22 Raptor pilots. Experts have said as many as 22 of the world's most-advanced stealth fighter jets, valued at $330 million each, may have been left behind in hangars at the base because they were down for maintenance and could not be flown out ahead of the storm.

Florida U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio and Bill Nelson and Gov. Rick Scott have made repeated calls for the base to be rebuilt, saying it is vital to national security and to the region's economy.

More on Tyndall:

•Rick Scott asks for 'immediate action' to rebuild Tyndall Air Force Base after Hurricane Michael

•Fate of Tyndall Air Force Base F-22 Raptors still unknown post-Hurricane Michael

•Hurricane Michael: Tyndall Air Force Base will recover in the long-term, leaders say