Moore, Bustos Lead Bipartisan Call for Military Arsenals, Depots and Ammunition Plants to be Included in Efforts to Strengthen Nation’s Supply
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Reps. Blake Moore (UT-01) and Cheri Bustos (IL-17), Co-Chairs of the bipartisan House Military Depot, Arsenal, Ammunition Plant and Industrial Facilities Caucus, led a call for the Organic Industrial Base (OIB), or military arsenals, depots and ammunition plants, to be included in President Joe Biden’s ongoing efforts to strengthen the nation’s supply chains.
In a letter, the Caucus Co-Chairs respond to the President’s February 24, 2021, Executive Order requiring a 100-day review of several critical domestic supply chains, including the defense industrial base. They note that the OIB is a key part of the defense supply chain through its work sustaining current missions and carrying out research and development of future systems.
“These national treasures are insurance policies on our readiness, with the flexibility to respond to current and future challenges. The early complications with employing the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic underscore the importance of ensuring that the institutions our nation relies on in times of need are kept strong and agile, serving as a cautionary tale for what can happen when we do not harden our assets,” the letter states.
“The OIB is carrying out exciting research and development of future systems needs and sustainment of existing critical systems. For example, the Rock Island Arsenal houses the services’ only Advanced and Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence and is carrying out work that will redefine the supply chain from design to delivery. The Ogden Air Logistics Center is supporting the Air Force’s most critical platforms from the F-22s to F-35s to our nuclear strategic deterrent. There are many more examples across the OIB of innovation to support the warfighter. Better understanding these capabilities and how they support the broader military industrial base is important to the successful implementation of this Executive Order.”
Text of the full letter is below and can be found here.
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