Good morning! On behalf of the United States Army, it’s my pleasure to celebrate this new facility which marks a critical expansion of industrial support for our troops and our nation’s defense. Senator Cornyn, Congressmen Gooden and Veasey, and Mayor Alemán, it is always good to be back in your state – having grown up in Texas, even after many years away, it still feels like home. Ambassador Flake, it's great to see you here with our Turkish partners. Thank you to Phebe Novakovic and Firat Gezen for the great General Dynamics hospitality; it's a pleasure to highlight the fantastic work you all have done.
This facility represents two years of hard work, and I would like to thank all those involved in this effort. General Reim and the Joint Program Executive Office for Armaments & Ammunition team, our supporters in Congress, action officers in multiple Army and DoD staffs, Army Materiel Command, General Dynamics, and partners across multiple industries, including those in Turkey – all of you should be proud of what we have achieved together.
We live in a dangerous and unpredictable world. Russian aggression in Europe and the PRC’s coercive behavior in the Indo-Pacific threaten stability and security overseas and economic prosperity right here at home. Our competitors have military capabilities and advanced technologies that could make a future conflict difficult and drawn out, and that could threaten our transportation, power, and communication networks here at home in an effort to undermine American national will.
This is a more dangerous world than what we knew twenty years ago, and we need to work together to be prepared for what the future could bring. Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine is teaching us many lessons about the rapidly changing character of warfare. American forces must now prepare to face drone swarms, loitering munitions, and long-range fires directed against both our front-line forces and our logistics hubs – and do it all on a virtually transparent battlefield. The volume of shelling and missile strikes Russia has aimed at Ukraine reminds us that munitions matter. Because, as General Cavoli, our Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, said recently, "The side that can't shoot back loses."
We must continue to increase the size of our stockpiles, and that is why the increased industrial base capacity provided by this facility is so important to our nation's defense. Thanks to new automation and advanced manufacturing techniques, this factory has the flexibility to produce multiple artillery calibers from 60 to 155 millimeters. These production lines represent a more than 200% increase in the country’s ability to produce artillery parts.
Thanks to increased production here and at plants across the country, the Army has set a goal to produce 100,000 155 millimeter shells per month by the end of next year. At that rate, we can maintain the munition stockpile we need and continue to support our partners and allies across the world.
This plant is an important example of how we are modernizing our World War II-era organic industrial base. The Army is spending more than a billion dollars every year to make these critical improvements. We are building new production lines across the country, and we are expanding our contracts with existing production facilities to increase their production speed and capacity. And we couldn’t increase our production rates without the skilled expertise of the Americans who work in these arsenals and facilities around the country.
Each time I visit a plant, I am struck by the dedication, patriotism, and pride of the workers I meet, and I know that here in Mesquite, it won’t be any different. The work done in these production facilities contributes directly to our nation’s defense and makes us stronger.
Getting to this point has not been easy. Growing America’s industrial base and expanding our stockpile of munitions would not be possible without the supplemental funds and special authorizations provided to us by Congress. I thank the members here today for supporting the Army’s ability to grow our industrial base. As President Biden said, this latest supplemental appropriations bill is “helping Ukraine while at the same time investing in our own industrial base, strengthening our own national security, and supporting jobs in nearly 40 states all across America.”
Getting here hasn’t been easy, and the Army hasn’t done this alone. We have had many teammates in this endeavor. Without support from our NATO ally Turkey, this facility would be empty. What better example of the commitment and common goals we share with our allies than for America's munitions stockpiles to be filled with artillery rounds manufactured in the United States on Turkish production equipment!
Many offices inside the Department of Defense and Army Materiel Command worked diligently to "get to yes" in a number of areas when we hit stumbling blocks, understanding the urgent need to strengthen our defense industrial base. So great work - especially to the JPEO A&A team.
And multiple Federal, State, and local agencies worked hard to establish this factory on a very compressed schedule, in some cases rapidly approving permits that allowed us to begin and complete construction as quickly as possible.
And finally, this facility reflects a deepened partnership with industry. I cannot emphasize enough that our nation's defense relies on a robust, diverse, competitive and agile defense industry that can support what we need to deter war, and if deterrence fails, to be there alongside us to fight and win wars. Our partners at General Dynamics are critical to maintaining that defense.
So, as we look to the future, we will continue to invest in our industrial base, and modernize our capabilities. Our nation's defense relies not only on our Soldiers and other servicemembers in uniform but also on production facilities like this one, the skilled American workers who maintain the production lines, our partners in industry, and Congressional funding.
So, I thank you all for contributing to the completion of this new facility, for working together with the Army, and for being part of protecting and defending this great country.
Thank you.
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