Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today announced $46,427,807 for the design and construction of a new Operational Readiness Training Complex at Fort Drum.
“This construction project will help ensure that Fort Drum continues to play a leading role in our national defense, creating construction jobs along the way,” Senator Schumer said. “Our brave men and women in uniform stationed at Fort Drum deserve the best facilities available, helping to prepare our troops so that they’re more than ready to serve our nation and protect New Yorkers.
“This is a great investment for Fort Drum to help upgrade our military facilities while creating good-paying construction jobs,” Senator Gillibrand said. “Our men and women in uniform answer a call higher than any other. This funding will help ensure they are equipped with the training facilities they need.”
The project provides a Battalion size campus for Army Reserve and National Guard training units. It is phase one of a Brigade size campus to be built out in five subsequent project phases. This phase one constructs one Battalion Compound in a complex adjacent to the training ranges, maneuver areas and the airfield. The Battalion Compound consists of a Battalion Headquarters, Officer’s Quarters, Enlisted Soldier Barracks (672 beds), Dining Facility, Warehouse, Tactical Equipment Maintenance Facility, Storage Sheds, Vehicle Parking and associated infrastructure.
This project and the subsequent phases are extremely important to the Army Reserve and National Guard training as they continue to demolish the inadequate World War II-era wooden facilities traditionally used for their summer and weekend training activity.