US Senator Mitch McConnell announced that the US Army will award Repkon USA $435 million to build a Trinitrotoluene (TNT) production facility in Muhlenberg County’s Graham hamlet.
It will be the first domestic source of TNT in the United States since 1980.
McConnell was key in achieving the investment, a top strategic priority for the US Army, by shepherding the FY 2024 National Security Supplemental through the Senate.
“For the first time in decades, America will produce TNT on its own soil, manufacturing the explosive material our military uses for everything from hand grenades to 155mm artillery,” McConnell told reporters.
I’m delighted that the National Security Supplemental I championed in the Senate will bring home $435 million in federal cash to build this TNT capacity right here in Kentucky, therefore retooling the defense industrial base on which our military relies.
Through this collaboration with the Army and Repkon USA, our state demonstrates once more that we have the infrastructure, workforce, and logistics advantage to take on projects essential to our national defense.”
Senator McConnell was joined by US Congressman Brett Guthrie, R-Bowling Green, Repkon USA, Army officials, and others during the event.
“This critical investment in Muhlenberg County will not only make a direct and positive economic impact on our community bringing in more than 50 jobs, but will also help to reshore our military supply chains by producing TNT on American soil for the first time in decades,” Guthrie told reporters.
“I am pleased to support this project and the partnership that is now formed between our Western Kentucky Community, the Army and Repkon USA.”
TNT is a crucial explosive used by our military in artillery rounds, explosives, grenades, and other weapons. The Muhlenberg County plant will feature cutting-edge technology, with an emphasis on automation and digitization, as well as a revolutionary waste neutralization process.
Bryan Van Brunt, president of Repkon USA Holdings, Inc., stated, “This is a historic chance to develop a fresh new domestic capability that is critical to our military services and will be used for decades to come.
We are grateful to Army officials for putting their trust in us to build this facility, and to Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell for his unwavering leadership and advocacy on behalf of our country’s troops, without which we would not be here today.”
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