Defense budget includes money for Southfield Army Reserve Center, upgrades to Michigan military facilities
DETROIT (FOX 2) - The National Defense Authorization Act includes money to build new military facilities in Michigan and upgrade the state's existing facilities.
President Joe Biden signed the Act for the 2022 fiscal year Tuesday. It allocates nearly $144 million for the construction and improvement of facilities.
Twelve million dollars of that will go toward building an Army Reserve Center in Southfield and a Naval Operations Support Center in Battle Creek.
The remainder of the money will be used to upgrade training centers: $28 million in upgrades at Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Macomb County, $23 million to support infrastructure at Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center in Alpena County, $16 million in facility improvements at Camp Grayling Maneuver Readiness Center in Crawford County and $10 million in facility improvements at Battle Creek Air National Guard Base in Calhoun County.
Soldiers with the 1073rd Support Maintenance Company, Michigan National Guard, return to North Forward Operating Base following a vehicle recovery under fire exercise during Northern Strike 20 at Camp Grayling, Mich., July 27, 2020. Northern Strike f
Additionally, $5.7 million from the Energy Resilience and Conservation Investment Program will be used to build a natural gas energy generation facility at Camp Grayling.
"The projects and initiatives included in this year's NDAA are huge wins for our state. These investments will empower the next chapter of Michigan's long and meaningful history as a center of innovation for our country's national defense," said U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Paul D. Rogers, adjutant general and director of the Michigan Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. "I'd like to thank our entire congressional delegation and especially those members who serve on the House and Senate Armed Services committees for their work to secure these investments which will give the men and women of the Michigan National Guard the cutting-edge facilities they need to continue their incredible service to our communities, state and nation."
The bill also prohibits the retirement of the A-10 Warthog fighter. The 107th Fighter Squadron, an A-10 Warthog squadron assigned to Selfridge Air National Guard Base, will continue its mission into the next fiscal year.
Servicemembers and civilian Department of Defense workers will see a 2.7% pay raise from the bill. Other parts of the bill that are intended to help military members and veterans include a pilot program that allows Tricare beneficiaries to get their medications from pharmacies not on military bases, and a basic needs allowance to help low-income military families buy food. It also supports programs that help servicemembers as they transition out of the military.
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"Our country has long counted on Michigan to support our national defense, both through the dedicated service of the countless men and women serving in our armed forces and the innovative work being done through our well-established military and defense industries," said Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. "The national defense bill signed into law by President Biden helps us put Michiganders first by providing for $144 million in military construction projects, increasing military pay and ensuring access to resources for transitioning service members, their families and the nearly 600,000 veterans that call Michigan home."
Funds are also allocated for the DOD youth program STARBASE, which promotes STEM education. The program will get $42 million.
Additionally, Michigan's defense and advanced technology sector will get money from the bill, including $5 million in funding to further research additive manufacturing, and $7 million in funding for research into composite production practices. This will help in developing electric vehicles in the state.
"The national defense bill is critical to maintaining our competitiveness on the global stage - particularly as other nations, like the Chinese government, look to expand their influence," said Sen. Gary Peters, a former Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve and member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. "I'm pleased this bipartisan bill was signed into law - which not only helps solidify the Department of Defense's commitment to Michigan - but provides a pay raise for servicemembers, helps address PFAS contamination and supports innovative military research and development that's happening in Michigan."
Additional components of the bill include $476 million to address PFAS contamination to include environmental remediation and restoration, the creation of a PFAS Task Force, the establishment of a mandatory report to be delivered to Congress outlining efforts to remediate PFAS exposure at 50 sites across the country, including the former Wurtsmith Air Force Base and K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base in Michigan, and mandates public disclosure of PFAS water contamination test results.
"Our national defense should always be a bipartisan priority, and as a former Pentagon official, I firmly believe Congress has a solemn responsibility to pass a budget that values our men and women in uniform and ensures we can maintain our edge over competitors like China and Russia," said Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin. "I'm particularly pleased that my amendments to address supply chain vulnerabilities, PFAS contamination, and burn pit exposure among our veterans, have all been included. These three issues are examples of just how deeply Michigan is connected to our overall national security, and addressing them is critically important to our access to clean drinking water, our veterans' safety, and our domestic manufacturing."