‘Kentucky is proud to be one of the most military-friendly states in America. Locating the new headquarters at Fort Knox would clearly provide a significant return on investment for the Army.’
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) and Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02) announced today they sent a letter to Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy and Chief of Staff of the Army General James McConville advocating for Fort Knox to be the home of a new corps headquarters that is urgently needed to fulfill National Defense Strategy requirements.
Senator McConnell is proud to use his position as Senate Majority Leader to raise Kentucky’s priorities to the highest levels of the federal government. He led Kentucky’s Congressional representatives in urging the Army to strongly consider Fort Knox for the fourth corps headquarters location and is pleased to announce Fort Knox is one of the top installations under consideration.
The new headquarters would bring more than 600 additional soldiers to Kentucky, which is one of the most military-friendly states in America. Their service would support U.S. forces and operations in Europe, and help meet the Army’s modernization and readiness needs.
The delegation wrote, “As strong advocates for our nation’s military, we have been proud to support full funding for the defense budget in support of the selfless patriots in our all-volunteer force…As you consider potential headquarters locations that best meet the Army’s readiness needs, we ask that you keep Fort Knox’s many assets foremost in mind…Locating the new headquarters at Fort Knox would clearly provide a significant return on investment for the Army.”
They also highlighted many advantages to locating this headquarters at Fort Knox, writing, “Fort Knox has the capacity to accommodate the necessary headquarters complex and support facilities without the need for new military construction. This would not only allow the Army to make the most fiscally responsible use of taxpayer dollars, but also facilitate the timely and efficient establishment of the headquarters to help meet our national defense needs…Fort Knox would offer numerous benefits for servicemembers and families…from existing capacity in its well-rated military housing and on-post school system, to robust community support, ample spousal employment opportunities, and high-quality off-base options for housing, education, and medical services in both the neighboring communities and nearby Louisville.”
Retired Brigadier General Jim Iacocca, Knox Regional Development Alliance President and CEO, said, “Fort Knox is the ideal location for the Army’s new corps headquarters, and we couldn’t ask for better friends or stronger advocates than Leader McConnell, Senator Paul and Congressman Guthrie. With its exceptional military value and highly-recognized energy savings program, Fort Knox is well-equipped to lead the Army’s modernization efforts in a cost-effective way. Stationing the new headquarters here would also take advantage of Kentucky’s premier resources for servicemembers’ families as one of the most military-friendly states in the entire country. If selected, we stand ready to welcome the new headquarters to Fort Knox, and I’m grateful to our congressional members for using their clout to make our case directly to Army leadership.”
The Army plans to choose a location soon and activate the new headquarters in October 2020.
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