Army brass tours Arsenal while future of island at stake

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. (KWQC) - The secretary of the U.S. Army made an unannounced visit to the Rock Island Arsenal on Monday.

Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll toured the base with elected officials ahead of proposed cuts on the Island that would eliminate hundreds of jobs.

“Rock Island Arsenal has always been a pillar of strength for our national defense and the Quad Cities region,” U.S. Mariannette Miller-Meeks said. “As a 24-year Army veteran, it was an honor to join Secretary Driscoll today and hear directly from the dedicated men and women who keep this installation running.”

The government says cuts will help streamline the military, but local leaders and the congressmen and Senators who represent the Quad-Cities say the consolidation could harm the local economy and diminish military preparedness.

The Army wants to merge the Joint Munitions Command and the Army Sustainment Command, both headquartered on the Arsenal.

Union leaders have said as many as 400 jobs are identified for immediate cuts.

A Quad-Cities delegation went to Washington in April to advocate for the Rock Island Arsenal. Rep. Eric Sorensen, Sen. Chuck Grassley, Sen. Dick Durbin, and Sen. Tammy Duckworth all signed a letter to Driscoll expressing concerns about consolidation plans.

They also put hard questions to Driscoll during congressional hearings earlier this month. Sen. Duckworth, a Democrat from Illinois, is a combat veteran.

Duckworth: “You still haven’t answered my question: How many persons will be affected, and what is the timeline for implementation? You haven’t answered me.

Driscoll: “Senator, we’re currently working on the plan. I would hypothesize growth at Rock Island on a net basis.”

Driscoll did not say how the proposed cuts could lead to growth.

Sorensen, who was on the tour, said the cuts come at a bad time for the U.S. military.

“So now on the Rock Island Arsenal we may be up to a point where we can build 15,000 drones like that,” he said, snapping his fingers. “Ukraine has been able to hold off the Russians because of their unmanned aircraft systems. We may be the No. 1 producer of them at the Rock Island Arsenal for our armed forces.”

Driscoll is here at the request of Quad-Cities leaders and elected officials, who invited the Army secretary during a press conference last month.

Durbin, who was not in the Quad Cities Monday sent a statement: “When Sec. Driscoll visited the Senate earlier this month, I encouraged him to visit the Rock Island Arsenal to witness first-hand the outstanding work of the men and women equipping our military,” Durbin said. “As Sec. Driscoll saw today, the Rock Island Arsenal plays an important role in ensuring our nation’s military readiness and in supporting the economy of the Quad Cities region.”

The Army is expected to make decisions about the base soon.

Said Sorensen: “We need to make sure that the Army transformation initiative does not mean that we have a loss of jobs here. Instead, it means how can we make sure that the jobs and the workforce grows? Because now the Secretary of the Army knows our needs.”