KILLEEN — The 2019 National Defense Authorization Act was signed at Fort Drum New York on Monday, but it could mean infrastructure improvements all the way down here in Texas.
The $717 billion Act authorizes a 2.6 percent military pay raise, increases the size of the military by 4,000 soldiers, and funds new hardware for the troops. It also, however, provides for a new federal grant program for infrastructure around military communities and installations. Installations like Fort Hood.
"Part of the administration's desire is to provide funds for infrastructure projects in and around instillations tied to enhancing military value in terms of readiness while providing opportunities for the community," Retired Maj. Gen. Kendall Cox said.
Major General Cox is the Chairman of the Board for the Heart of Texas Defense Alliance, and the COO of Workforce Solutions of Central Texas. Cox told Channel 6 the funding programs in the Act had never been available before as the money had always gone to military projects on military installations and not the surrounding community. He said the projects can take several forms.
"Many are road infrastructure type projects that would deal with the ability of the military to deploy by ground or rail simultaneously," Cox said. "It will also ease the flow of traffic...off the instillation."
Heart of Texas Defense Alliance Executive Director, and Former Deputy Commander, Keith Sledd told Channel 6, by email, that there were many other options as well.
"This could be highway/roads, water, sewer, power and other similar projects," Sledd stated. "Unknown yet is how much funding will be applied. The final bill authorizes the program for 10 years with a 70% Federal to 30% local cost share with an additional provision that local cost share may be waived for rural communities or for national security."
Cox said communities often have these projects in the works but are looking for ways to fund them. One project Cox said could benefit from the new grant program is the Fort Hood Joint Use Multi-Modal Rail/Truck Facility. This facility, which could be placed West of Killeen, would provide a railroad and trucking hub for local industries and would simultaneously support Fort Hood.
"That would be a shared entity for the commercial world as well as Fort Hood if they needed to use it for major deployment," Cox said.
There is a caveat though. The grant money is not "free money." Local municipalities would have to match funding at 30 percent of the project cost. Killeen spokeswoman Hilary Shine told Channel 6 those matching funds would not necessarily have to come out of the budget if a city can build partnerships.
"As this is a new program, we have to wait for grant criteria and funding information before identifying specific projects," Shine said in an emailed statement. "Once we have more information, we will be able to determine how the City of Killeen, along with regional and state partners, could utilize this program to move projects forward in our community."
Finally, the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act could help bring more businesses to the area.
Sledd also told Channel 6, by email, the Act has a second new program to "help build defense manufacturing communities focused on technology and innovation."
"Communities striving to cultivate defense manufacturing, either to offset a decline in their local manufacturing base over recent decades or to improve their capacity for advanced technologies considered critical to national security, would be eligible for financial and technical assistance," Sledd stated.
Read more about the newly signed Act here on the U.S. Department of Defense website.