FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — The U.S. Army awarded a $435 million contract on Friday to construct a TNT manufacturing plant in western Kentucky that may grow to be the primary home supply for the explosive materials in a long time, officers stated.
Senate Republican chief Mitch McConnell, a key participant in securing the funding, stated the brand new facility in his dwelling state is a part of a broader retooling of the U.S. protection industrial base that is wanted to discourage adversaries overseas. Trinitrotoluene, or TNT, is utilized in artillery shells, bombs and grenades.
Establishing home manufacturing of TNT is significant for nationwide protection, the Army stated. The present provide chain for the essential explosive materials is solely reliant on abroad sources, it stated.
The new TNT plant in Kentucky is a part of the Army’s technique to ramp up munitions manufacturing to make sure the U.S. army has “timely access to essential resources,” stated Maj. Gen. John T. Reim.
“It is not lost on us that victory on the battlefield begins in our production facilities,” Reim said during the announcement at a VFW post near where the plant will be built. “Today marks the beginning of the return of TNT production to American soil, a capability we have not had since 1986.”
The contract was awarded to Repkon USA to construct the plant at Graham in Muhlenberg County, about 136 miles (219 kilometers) southwest of Louisville. The project is expected to create about 200 to 250 construction jobs and about 50 permanent jobs.
Republican U.S. Rep. Brett Guthrie, who served as an artillery officer, said the war between Ukraine and Russia underscores the importance of having ample supplies of explosives for artillery shells. TNT is the primary explosive fill for 155mm artillery shells, the Army says.
“It’s an artillery battle that’s going on and Ukraine and the West do not have as much 155(mm artillery) rounds as Russia can make,” said Guthrie, whose district includes Muhlenberg County.
Bryan Van Brunt, president of Repkon USA Holdings Inc., called it a “historic opportunity” to build a production plant that’s vital to the military and will be relied upon for decades.
“We are grateful to leaders at the Army for their trust in us to establish this facility,” he said in a news release.
McConnell, in the twilight of his long tenure as Senate Republican leader, has stressed the need to build up the nation’s defenses as a deterrent against foreign adversaries. McConnell, who has two years left in his current term, said months ago he would step down from his leadership post sometime after the election.
“We’re up against a network of authoritarian regimes,” the Kentucky Republican stated Friday. “North Korea, China, Russia, Iran and Iran’s proxies are all speaking with one another. They hate us and so they wish to reform the world order in a approach that advantages autocratic regimes.”
McConnell persistently evokes Ronald Reagan’s mantra of “peace through strength” to confront overseas coverage dangers. Notably, McConnell and President-elect Donald Trump differ on the U.S. function on this planet, reflecting a basic battle amongst Republicans over whether or not to comply with Trump’s “America First” doctrine on overseas affairs or an internationalist view backed by McConnell to face with American allies. McConnell has been steadfast in urging the U.S. to help Ukraine in its battle with Russia.
“If the Russians are not defeated in Ukraine, that won’t be the last loss,” the senator stated. “That will be just the beginning. … A way to look at this is an impending conflict between authoritarian parts of the world and democratic parts of the world.”
