Durbin, Duckworth Lead Bipartisan Letter Urging Armed Services Conferees To Include Provisions To Support Rock Island Arsenal

"We urge you to retain these provisions in a Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act conference agreement to ensure Rock Island Arsenal and its workforce in the Quad Cities region remain a hub for manufacturing in the years to come," the lawmakers wrote in the letter

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, and combat Veteran U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth led U.S. Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Joni Ernst (R-IA), as well as U.S. Representatives Eric Sorensen (D-IL-17) and Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA-02), in sending a letter to the four Senate and House leaders of the Armed Services Committees to urge them to include provisions that support Rock Island Arsenal in the final Fiscal Year (FY26) National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The four leaders of the Armed Services Committees are currently engaged in conference negotiations to finalize the text of legislation.

"As you continue conference negotiations for the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, we strongly urge you to retain provisions in the final text that are critical to workload and workforce sustainment at Rock Island Arsenal, which remains an important part of our organic industrial base and national security," the lawmakers wrote.

In their letter, the lawmakers advocated for NDAA provisions, all of which were included in either the Senate or House-passed versions of the legislation, that ensures Rock Island Arsenal remains central to the national effort to modernize the military. The lawmakers urged the leaders to include a pilot program to provide a predictable workload for arsenals like Rock Island, a provision that was modeled after Durbin's Arsenal Workload Sustainment Act.

The lawmakers wrote in support of the provision in the letter, noting that it would "require the Army to establish a pilot program to give contracting preference for partnerships with Army arsenals such as Rock Island, providing them with predictable workload to sustain critical skills and allowing them to compete with private industry in the manufacturing or procurement of defense products."

As the Trump Administration has gutted government agencies, the lawmakers also pressed for the inclusion of a provision that would limit the use of government funds to combine the Joint Munitions Command (JMC) and Army Sustainment Command (ASC), both headquartered at Rock Island Arsenal. This provision would prevent undue job cuts at Rock Island Arsenal.

"Section 346 of S. 2296 and Section 915 of H.R. 3838 would restrict the Army from using any funds allocated for restructuring JMC and ASC until the Army provides Congress with more information about its proposed plans, helping protect jobs at Rock Island Arsenal from unnecessary cuts," the lawmakers wrote about their provision to protect jobs at Rock Island Arsenal.

The lawmakers also called on the Armed Services Committee leaders to include provisions to expand modernization efforts and munitions manufacturing capabilities at Rock Island Arsenal.

The lawmakers concluded their letter by emphasizing Rock Island Arsenal's large role in supporting national defense.

"For more than a century, Rock Island Arsenal has kept our Armed Forces lethal, ready, and safe, with the production of arms and ammunition to tactical vehicles to medical equipment. Today, not only is Rock Island Arsenal home to the only active U.S. Army foundry, its Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center also is at the forefront of modern and advanced manufacturing. We urge you to retain these provisions in a Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act conference agreement to ensure Rock Island Arsenal and its workforce in the Quad Cities region remain a hub for manufacturing in the years to come," the lawmakers concluded their letter.

Receiving a copy of today's letter were U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Armed Services; U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Armed Services; U.S. Representative Mike Rogers (R-AL-03), Chairman of the House Committee on Armed Services; and U.S. Representative Adam Smith (D-WA-09), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Armed Services.

A copy of the letter is available here and below:

November 6, 2025

Dear Chairman Wicker, Ranking Member Reed, Chairman Rogers, and Ranking Member Smith,

As you continue conference negotiations for the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, we strongly urge you to retain provisions in the final text that are critical to workload and workforce sustainment at Rock Island Arsenal, which remains an important part of our organic industrial base and national security. These provisions include:

1. Pilot program for arsenal workload sustainment. Modeled after the Arsenal Workload Sustainment Act, Section 329 of S. 2296 and Section 337 of H.R. 3838 would require the Army to establish a pilot program to give contracting preference for partnerships with Army arsenals such as Rock Island, providing them with predictable workload to sustain critical skills and allowing them to compete with private industry in the manufacturing or procurement of defense products;
2. Limitation on use of funds by the Army until submittal of plan to integrate Joint Munitions Command (JMC) and Army Sustainment Command (ASC). Section 346 of S. 2296 and Section 915 of H.R. 3838 would restrict the Army from using any funds allocated for restructuring JMC and ASC until the Army provides Congress with more information about its proposed plans, helping protect jobs at Rock Island Arsenal from unnecessary cuts;
3. Modernization of Army Arsenals. Section 849 of S. 2296 and Section 341 of H.R. 3838 would require the Secretary of the Army to assess Army facilities such as Rock Island Arsenal and identify opportunities for expanded munitions production;
4. Advanced robotic automation for munitions manufacturing. Section 219 of S. 2296 would require the Army to establish a program to support the maturation and expansion of robotic munitions manufacturing capabilities at government-owned, contractor-operated facilities, which would help increase production at facilities such as the Quad City Cartridge Case Facility; and
5. Military Construction Funding. S. 2296 includes authorizations of $50 million for the construction of a new Child Development Center at Rock Island Arsenal, as well as $5 million in planning and design funds for a Forging Equipment Annex at the Rock Island Arsenal-Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center.

For more than a century, Rock Island Arsenal has kept our Armed Forces lethal, ready, and safe, with the production of arms and ammunition to tactical vehicles to medical equipment. Today, not only is Rock Island Arsenal home to the only active U.S. Army foundry, its Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center also is at the forefront of modern and advanced manufacturing. We urge you to retain these provisions in a Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act conference agreement to ensure Rock Island Arsenal and its workforce in the Quad Cities region remain a hub for manufacturing in the years to come. Thank you for your attention to our request.

Sincerely,

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