FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) – The U.S. military on Friday awarded a $435 million contract to build a TNT production plant in western Kentucky that will become the first domestic source for the explosive material in decades, officials said.
Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a key player in securing the funding, said the new facility in his home state is part of a broader redesign of the U.S. defense industrial base needed to deter adversaries abroad. Trinitrotoluene, or TNT, is used in artillery shells, bombs and grenades.
Establishing domestic production of TNT is critical to national defense, the military said. The current supply chain for the crucial explosive material is completely dependent on overseas sources, the report said.
The new TNT plant in Kentucky is part of the Army's strategy to increase munitions production to ensure the U.S. military has “timely access to critical resources,” said Maj. Gen. John T. Reim.
“It is not lost on us that victory on the battlefield begins in our production facilities,” Reim said during the announcement at a VFW post near where the plant will be built. “Today marks the beginning of the return of TNT production to US soil. , an opportunity we haven't had since 1986.”
The contract was awarded to Repkon USA to build the Graham plant in Muhlenberg County, approximately 139 miles southwest of Louisville. The project is expected to create approximately 200 to 250 construction jobs and approximately 50 permanent jobs.
Republican U.S. Rep. Brett Guthrie, who served as an artillery officer, said the war between Ukraine and Russia underlines the importance of having an adequate supply of explosives for artillery shells. TNT is the main explosive filling for 155mm artillery shells, the military says.
“It's an artillery battle that's going on and Ukraine and the West don't have as many 155mm artillery rounds as Russia can make,” said Guthrie, whose district includes Muhlenberg County.
Bryan Van Brunt, president of Repkon USA Holdings Inc., called it a “historic opportunity” to build a manufacturing plant that is vital to the military and can be relied on for decades.
“We are grateful to Army leaders for their confidence in us to establish this facility,” he said in a news release.
McConnell, in the twilight of his long tenure as Senate Republican leader, has emphasized the need to build up the nation's defenses as a deterrent against foreign adversaries. McConnell, who has two years left in his current term, said months ago that he would step down from his leadership post some time after the election.
“We are dealing with a network of authoritarian regimes,” the Kentucky Republican said on Friday. “North Korea, China, Russia, Iran and Iranian allies are all communicating with each other. They hate us and they want to reform the world order in a way that benefits autocratic regimes.”
McConnell consistently invokes Ronald Reagan's mantra of “peace through strength” to confront foreign policy risks. Notably, McConnell and newly elected President Donald Trump differ on the US role in the world, reflecting a fundamental struggle among Republicans over whether to accept Trump's “America First” doctrine on foreign affairs. or an internationalist vision, supported by McConnell, to support America's allies. McConnell has urged the US to support Ukraine in its war with Russia.
“If the Russians are not defeated in Ukraine, it will not be the last loss,” the senator said. “That will be just the beginning. … One way to look at this is a looming conflict between authoritarian parts of the world and democratic parts of the world.”
