US budget agreement preserves $9.4M for Valley airbase

Staff report

WASHINGTON

Congressional leadership has agreed to include $12.7 million for area military bases in the fiscal year 2016 federal appropriations bill.

The bill allocates $9.4 million to the Youngstown Air Reserve Station in Vienna to upgrade its indoor firing range and $3.3 million to the Ravenna Joint Military Training Center for its firing range.

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Howland, D-13th, both of whom strongly support funding for the local military installations, said agreement among congressional leaders was reached Wednesday.

“It’s critical that our airmen have the most effective training possible to ensure their safety and the safety of those they serve each day. This funding will allow Youngstown Air Reserve Station to make needed improvements to its indoor firing range so that the men and women at YARS can test their skills during training,” said Brown.

The range is used to train and test air reservists for qualifications with their service weapons for personal protection and ground-base defense. The current range fails to meet safety requirements. This funding will correct this deficiency, said Brown, who helped include funding for YARS in the National Defense Authorization Act and the fiscal 2016 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act.

“This money gives our airmen and soldiers the resources and training facilities they need to remain combat-ready and complete their missions,” Ryan said. “I am proud to have supported our men and women in uniform and will continue to work to ensure these vital funds get to YARS and Camp Ravenna.”

Also included in the final version of the federal spending bill, which still must pass the House and Senate and be signed by the president to become law, is $10 million for an Ohio-based military additive manufacturing program and nearly $5 million for local reservoirs, said Ryan, a member of the House Appropriations Committee.

The $10 million for the Youngstown-Dayton Military Additive Manufacturing Initiative was secured by Ryan to continue an additive manufacturing innovation research program based at the Air Force Research Lab at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton.

The program, begun with an original $10 million of funding secured by Ryan in last year’s FY 2015 defense spending bill, equips the Air Force with the technology and expertise to use 3D printing and other emerging manufacturing techniques to make low-volume replacement parts for weapons systems at a lower cost.