Fort Campbell will receive approximately $48.35 million for various construction projects after funding was included in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024, U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell’s office announced in a press release.
President Biden signed the legislation after the Senate passed the measure on Friday. The press release says the Kentucky senator advocated for the projects, which includes the following for Fort Campbell:
- $38 million to construct a large-scale vehicle/aerial gunnery training range
- $5.5 million to construct a new airfield fire and rescue station
- $3.15 million to construct an equipment staging area to support overseas deployment operations
- $1.7 million for design and engineering of a runway extension project
The legislation also provides funding for additional military projects in Kentucky. Those are:
- $7.7 million for Fort Knox to build a new fire station
- $16.4 million for a Kentucky National Guard vehicle maintenance facility at Burlington
- $7 million for a new Kentucky National Guard machine gun training range at the Wendell H. Ford Regional Training Center in Greenville
- $2 million to complete the Kentucky National Guard state administrative building in Frankfort
- $3.3 million to engineer a new ammunition warehouse at the Blue Grass Army Depot
The Consolidated Appropriations Act passed 75-22 in the Senate. U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., voted against the legislation. U.S. Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., previously voted in favor of the measure in the House, where it passed 219-211.
“From Russian aggression in Europe to Iran-backed terrorism in the Middle East to competition with China, the United States cannot be caught unprepared in the face of these growing threats,” McConnell said. “Addressing our national security challenges begins with investing in American hard power at home.”
McConnell said the legislation “makes a needed down payment on our waning defense industrial base, engineering a new ammunition warehouse at Blue Grass Army Depot” and “also devotes significant resources to upgrading our military capabilities and training facilities at Fort Campbell, Fort Knox, and the Kentucky National Guard, further solidifying Kentucky’s central role in our nation’s defense abroad.”
The McConnell press release included comments from Christian County Chamber of Commerce President Taylor Hayes.
“With Fort Campbell units being among the most deployed combat units in the Army, the senator has a firm grasp on the importance of how this funding impacts the preparedness to deploy and serve the nation’s interest in a moment’s notice,” Hayes said.
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. Brown was a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era, where she worked for 30 years. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board past president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition. She serves on the Hopkinsville History Foundation's board.
