$41M project keeps NJ’s Picatinny Arsenal in vital defense role

New Jersey has secured $41 million in federal funding for a new Munitions Disassembly Complex at Picatinny Arsenal in Morris County.

U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., says Picatinny is the brainpower behind the nation's firepower and it continues to play a vital role in the nation's defense.

"The construction of this Munitions Disassembly Complex will secure Picatinny Arsenal's future as America's leader in the advancement of armaments technology and munitions innovation," he said.

"This state-of-the-art facility will encompass munitions disassembly robotics short and long term storage magazines and much, much more. These operations will aid in the fulfillment of Picatinny Arsenal's continued mission under the new the Army Futures Command for research development engineering and analysis of current and future armament and munitions systems."

He said New Jersey's delegation managed to keep funding for the project away from the Trump administration's efforts to pay for the border wall with Mexico.

"We cannot afford to let politics get in the way of something as serious as our national defense," he said.

"Earlier this year, President Trump issued an emergency declaration that proposed raising the funding of U.S. military construction projects to build a border wall that he promised Mexico was going to pay for," he said. "We immediately led a delegation letter to the acting secretary of defense emphasizing the importance of the munitions disassembly complex project."

Joe Cutter is the senior news anchor on New Jersey 101.5