Senators work together to keep military production in America.
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) is no stranger to the topic of America’s defense industrial base. He is an outspoken critic of the increasing trend of contracting military manufacturing to foreign countries. Back in May, Sen. Murphy and fellow Connecticut Senator Blumenthal wrote a letter to the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology. In the letter, they detailed the need to ensure that military contracts were not outsourced to foreign manufacturers as this would erode American national security and undermine U.S. manufacturers.
The Department of the Army listened and awarded a $46 million contract to Timken Aerospace Transmissions of Manchester, CT.The contract for the maintenance of AH-64 Apache Attack Helicopter transmissions is a victory for American workers and manufacturers. It also bodes well for the pilots who will fly the aircraft and the troops who depend on them.
Timken specializes in the production of aerospace technology and their workforce has developed the skills and expertise needed to ensure that these helicopters are maintained in accordance with the highest standards. The level of quality, oversight, and accountability inherent in working with American companies like Timken stand in stark contrast to certain overseas manufacturers who sometimes use cheap or counterfeit parts. This can erode our defense capabilities.
“This sizeable contract awarded to Timken Aerospace is not only a major win for the viability of our domestic defense industrial base, but a true testament to Connecticut’s robust defense manufacturing industry,” said Blumenthal and Murphy.
While this contract is a welcome development in American defense sourcing, hopefully it will serve as a precursor for future contracts. With the efforts of Senators Murphy and Blumenthal, hopefully Congress can begin to reverse the dangerous trend of producing U.S. military equipment overseas. Such practices leave our national security and troop readiness vulnerable to the whims of foreign governments, supply chain disruptions, political unrest, and intentional trade restrictions by supplier nations. We can avoid these potential dangers by keeping the production of our military equipment made in America.