Source: United States Senator for Ohio Rob Portman
$1.35 Billion for Abrams Tanks, $1 Billion for Stryker Vehicles, $331.5 Million for M-SHORAD Included in Senate National Defense Authorization Act Important for Lima and the JSMC
September 24, 2021 | Press Releases
WASHINGTON, DC — U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) today announced that the Senate’s FY 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) includes $1.35 billion in funding to upgrade Abrams tanks, which will continue the production of the M1A2 SEPv3 upgraded Abrams tanks at the Joint Systems Manufacturing Center (JSMC) in Lima, Ohio in order to ensure that our forward-deployed soldiers have tanks with the most cutting-edge capabilities. The bill also includes $1 billion for upgrading Stryker Vehicles. Also included is $331.5 million to produce Stryker chassis to support the Army’s Maneuver Short-Range Air Defense (M-SHORAD) program. Portman has been a strong advocate for both Lima and the Abrams and Stryker programs, ensuring that our men and women of the military have the best and most lethal weapons systems while keeping good, high-paying jobs in Lima.
Senator Portman issued the following statement regarding the announcement:
“This funding is so important for the Lima and the Joint Systems Manufacturing Center (JSMC), which supports our troops both at home and around the globe, and its irreplaceable workforce. The newest version of the Abrams tank, the M1A2 SEPv3, is a vital investment for our soldiers to meet the realities highlighted in the latest National Defense Strategy, and they come off the line at JSMC in Lima. This funding will ensure that more tanks are produced at Lima and get to our forward deployed soldiers.
“I am also pleased the NDAA includes funding for producing Stryker A1 vehicles. This authorization will help provide long-term stability to the industrial base and ensure our soldiers are rapidly provided with the most capable and survivable vehicle coming off the line.
“This year’s NDAA also includes funding for the M-SHORAD program, which is good news for the Army and the world-class workforce in Lima. The Army has developed the M-SHORAD program to deal with the new, short-range air defense threats on the modern battlefield, based off the highly capable Stryker platform that is produced in Lima. This funding is critical in ensuring our armed forces have the best weapons systems at their disposal.”
NOTE: Portman has been a staunch supporter of the JSMC and visited the JSMC in 2019, where he met the new Installation Commander, received a briefing on how funding he helped secure is leading to increased employment, and saw the latest work on the Abrams Tank and Stryker vehicle line. While the Obama administration proposed shuttering the plant in 2011, Portman has made a commitment to safeguarding the long-term viability of the JSMC, ensuring this vital facility can continue its critical work on the military’s Abrams tank and Stryker vehicle. Under Portman’s leadership from 2013-2015, Congress increased funding in the appropriations process and supplemented appropriations with foreign military sales to allow the plant to continue operating at minimal production levels. Production increased in 2016 and continues to be strong and on the rise.
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