U.S. Representative Sandy Levin
12th District of Michigan

(Washington D.C.)- Rep. Sander Levin (D-Royal Oak) today opposed a resolution that would have blocked the recommendations made by the BRAC Committee, including the addition of nearly 650 additional jobs at TACOM. The LaHood Resolution of Disapproval, introduced by Rep. Ray LaHood of Illinois, was defeated with a vote of 324 to 85. 

“The U.S. Congress took the final steps in moving forward with the BRAC recommendations,” said Rep. Levin. “The decision to make Warren’s TACOM a premier facility for the Defense Department’s ground vehicle development and acquisition is not only good news for our nation, but also for the state of Michigan. The additional jobs generated by this move combined with the R & D synergies between the military and private sector will serve Michiganders and Americans alike.” 

The BRAC report recommended that the Defense Department close or realign more than 150 military installations around the country. It also detailed that the Detroit Arsenal located in Warren, MI and including the Tank Automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) and TARDEC will gain a net of 647 jobs. The BRAC report was submitted to the President on September 8th, which he accepted and forwarded to Congress on September 15th.  Under the terms of the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act of 1990, Congress has 45 days to pass a joint resolution of disapproval of the BRAC recommendation. Over the next 20 years, the total savings of the Commission’s recommendations are estimated at $35.6 billion.

See the following language from the BRAC report:

Consolidate Ground Vehicle Development & Acquisition in a Joint Center

...The Joint Center for Ground Vehicle D&A located at Detroit Arsenal will be the Department of Defense’s premier facility for ground vehicle D&A. Detroit Arsenal is located in southeastern Michigan where the Research and Development headquarters reside for General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, General Dynamics Land Systems, Toyota-North America, Nissan-North America, Hino, Hyundai, Suzuki, Visteon, Delphi, Johnson Controls, Dana, and many others. The synergies gained from having a critical mass located in southeastern Michigan, and being able to leverage the world’s intellectual capital for automotive/ground vehicle Research and Development & Acquisition, will ensure the Department is prepared to meet the future demands.

The end state of this recommendation is to consolidate Department of Defense expertise in Ground Vehicle D&A activities at Detroit Arsenal. It promotes jointness, enables technical synergy, and positions the Department of Defense to exploit a center-of-mass of scientific, technical, and acquisition expertise with the personnel involved in ground vehicle Research, Development & Acquisition that currently resides at Detroit Arsenal.

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