October 10, 2024

Duckworth, Sorensen Visit Rock Island Arsenal to Reinforce Support for Local Servicemembers

 

[ROCK ISLAND, IL] – Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), a member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), and U.S. Representative Eric Sorensen (D-IL-17) today visited Rock Island Arsenal to discuss current manufacturing operations and how Congress can continue to support the Arsenal. Duckworth and Sorensen met Arsenal Leadership, including LTG Mark Landes, Commanding General, First Army, BG John “Brad” Hinson, Army Sustainment Command and COL William "Joe" Parker, III, Garrison Commander, to tour the Arsenal’s Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center and learn about their metal manufacturing operations.

“Rock Island Arsenal plays an important role in the strength of both our national security and the Quad Cities community,” Duckworth said. “I’m glad to have the opportunity to see how the Arsenal’s expertise and resources are helping protect our nation and keep the region’s economy strong. I’ll keep working with Congressman Sorensen to ensure the men and women of Rock Island Arsenal have the support they need and that the Arsenal can succeed for years to come.”

“The Rock Island Arsenal, and the brave men and women that work there, help make the Quad Cities community such a special place to live in,” Sorensen said. “I was honored to join Senator Duckworth and the Arsenal’s leadership in touring the facility and talking about ways we can work together to create more jobs and strengthen its operations. The Arsenal has always been an important part of how we keep our nation safe, and I will always work hard with Senator Duckworth to bring resources from Washington back home to support the Arsenal’s work.” 

As a member of SASC, Duckworth has helped secure critical resources for Rock Island Arsenal and the surrounding communities through the yearly National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). In this year’s Senate-passed NDAA, Duckworth secured provisions to allow the Department of Defense to make grants to local communities to improve infrastructure around military bases that benefit local communities, like those surrounding Rock Island Arsenal. In the Fiscal Year 2022 NDAA Duckworth secured $14 million for the Arsenal to support Army’s development of additive manufacturing capabilities in austere operating environments, and another $75 million in the FY 2020 NDAA for eligible projects near the Arsenal that would improve military value and enhance the lives of servicemembers who live in the surrounding communities.

Last month, Duckworth helped announce more than $11 million in federal funding to support the rehabilitation of critical bridge access to Rock Island Arsenal. This funding was awarded as one of fourteen Defense Community Infrastructure Program (DCIP) grants from the U.S. Department of Defense’s Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation.

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