Radford could get a boost in defense bill

There will be a good hard look at the Radford Arsenal’s needs for improvements and modernization, if Sen. Tim Kaine gets his way.

Kaine won his bid for language in the National Defense Authorization Act requiring the Secretary of Defense review critical military manufacturing facilities, like Radford, that are essential to the nation’s defense industrial base.

The aim is to develop a plan for future improvements to the facilities.

Kaine also pushed successfully for the spending bill to include provisions of his separate effort to help men and women in the military get civilian credentials for their skills, as well as to fund construction projects at bases and facilities in Virginia Beach, Quantico, Yorktown and Quantico.

The bill won bipartisan support in the Armed Services Committee and heads now to the full Senate.

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