WEST POINT, Miss.–In a county where unemployment is sometimes at 16 and 17 percent, a company closing its doors, any company, is a devastating piece of news. But, Navistar, which shut down last June and put more than 100 people out of work, is starting the machines up again, with a new contract from the military.
The $38 million contract announced Thursday is from the U.S. Army and it’s too make Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles “like new”. In other words, it’s repair and refurbish.
Work could start soon, rolling out the first redone batch of vehicles in early 2015. The contract, right now, last through June 2016.
“The production of the MRAPs in Mississippi has helped contribute to the effectiveness of our fighting forces, and this contract would allow our highly capable workforce to continue those efforts,” said Sen. Thad Cochran, vice chairman of the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee.
This is from a press release detailing the contract:
According to the Army, the contract work would entail meeting new configuration of the M1235 Maxx Pro Dash, M1235 A1 Maxx Pro Dash with independent suspension systems, while the M1235 A2 Maxx Pro dash ambulance would also be reconfigured.
The contract derives from FY2014 appropriations approved by Congress for the Department of Defense, including $25.8 million in Army operations and maintenance funding and $12.5 million in procurement funds.
The Senate Appropriations Committee in July approved the FY2015 Defense Appropriations Bill (http://1.usa.gov/1qMrIMl), which includes $165.8 billion in overall base funding for Defense Department operation and maintenance accounts and $91.4 billion for procurement.
