Mineral County residents can breathe a sigh of relief as the Hawthorne Army Depot will not be affected with a base closure.
The House committee passed at $696.5 billion defense bill which includes the interest of the military in Nevada.
The National Defense Authorization Act will take “significant steps toward rebuilding the military” according to Chairman Mac Thornberry, R-Texas. It will also include 355-ship Navy with $6 billion added for shipbuilding.
“There are many moving pieces to the broader budget picture that will develop over this year, but for today and for our responsibilities as the Armed Services Committee, it is important for us to put down this marker for what we need for national defense,” he said.
Democrats on the opposite side believed that Congress has “vastly over promised” on what can be delivered on defense spending.
The budget exceeds the statutory cap of $549 billion.
Through this fund, is $10 billion earmarked for base requirements.
Mineral County not only has the Hawthorne Army Depot to account for as the expansion of the Naval Air Station Fallon will reach into the county, also.
Besides the rejection of base closure, the bill also provides a 2.4 percent pay increase for military; $706 million for Israeli missile defense; cyber training and talent management and purchase of commercial avionics to improve C-130 aircraft.
Nevada’s four military instillations employ 53,000 Nevadans, according to a report from Governor Brian Sandoval’s council.
