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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. William Keller |
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Keller praises Gov. Rendell’s support of war fighters, the nation and the Commonwealth
PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 19 – State Rep. William Keller, D-Phila., is praising a letter sent by Gov. Ed Rendell to Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation urging them to ensure that Pennsylvania’s industrial and transportation infrastructure is part of the solution to build, repair and transport critical military equipment.
“Governor Rendell has taken a key leadership role that supports our war fighters, our nation and our Commonwealth,” Keller said. “The Department of Defense is undertaking a massive industrial effort to quickly build and ship Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles to help keep our soldiers protected from improvised explosive device blasts while simultaneously undertaking work to repair war-damaged military equipment. This is an incredible industrial challenge for the United States.”
In a letter to the Pennsylvania congressional delegation, Rendell said: “Pennsylvania has the opportunity to leverage its military and industrial capacity and capability for the good of the nation as well as for economic development here. Specifically, Pennsylvania is well positioned in two major areas: 1.) as a production center for the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles program and 2.) utilizing resources at the Port of Philadelphia to ship MRAP vehicles to Iraq and Afghanistan, and for returning military equipment in need of repair. The Commonwealth’s opportunities are based around the capabilities of our manufacturing base, Letterkenny and Tobyhanna Depots, and the strategic military seaport in Philadelphia.”
Rendell pointed out that MRAP vehicle production, assembly and distribution capabilities are currently only focused in South Carolina. Now that MRAP vehicles will be produced at the BAE York facility and other manufacturers in the U.S. Northeast and Midwest, assembly and distribution infrastructure must be available in the Northeast to support them. Rendell emphasized that Pennsylvania has both the commercial and military industrial capacity at Letterkenny and Tobyhanna Army depots, in Franklin and Monroe counties, respectively, to efficiently repair, upgrade and rebuild equipment so that it can be returned to units that need the equipment to remain combat-ready.
“The seaport in Philadelphia is a strategic military port unlike any other in the United States. Philadelphia has been and continues to be a ‘beta’ site for new global distribution solutions to support critical DOD supply chains like the MRAP vehicle and RESET/RETROGRADE,” Keller said. “Thanks to Congressmen John Murtha and Bob Brady, Philadelphia has been a leader in military seaport and global distribution innovation. This ongoing effort, coupled with the manufacturing capabilities at the BAE facility in York and the award-winning capabilities at Letterkenny and Tobyhanna make for a win-win for the Department of Defense and for Pennsylvania.
“Pennsylvania companies and people are making sure that our war fighters have what they need, when they need it. Nothing can be more important than that!” Keller said.
MRAPs are a family of vehicles produced by a variety of domestic and international companies that generally incorporate a V-shaped hull and armor plating designed to provide protection against mines and IEDs. The Army and Marines have employed two versions of MRAPs in limited numbers in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2003, primarily for route clearance and explosive ordinance disposal operations. It has been suggested that MRAPs might be a better alternative for transporting troops in combat than traditional, up-armored Humvees.
RESET is a United States Army program designed to restore military equipment returning from Iraq and Afghanistan to full mission-capable status. RESET includes repair of equipment, replacement of equipment lost during operations and recapitalization of equipment where feasible and necessary.
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CONTACT: Casey Kockler |