Shuster bill to preserve military’s key medium-range missile defense capabilities

Legislation introduced by U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster (R-PA) would prohibit the Army from demilitarizing an important component of the military’s medium-range missile defense capabilities.

The Patriot Inventory Protection Act, H.R. 1916, would preserve the MIM-104 Patriot Guidance Enhanced TBM, or GEM T, missile, which is a major contributor to the workload of Letterkenny Army Depot in Franklin County, Pennsylvania.

“Patriot missiles continue to be a key system for defending our military men and women, and Letterkenny plays a crucial role in keeping them in the field,” Shuster said. “This legislation is a smart way to keep Patriot ready to join the fight, and would allow Letterkenny to continue playing an essential role in performing work on the system.”

Letterkenny Army Depot provides recertification of GEM-T missile inventories, which is required to keep the system fielded. In 2013, however, the Army elected not to recertify the GEM-T missile inventory.

“Nobody knows how to do this job better than the workforce at Letterkenny, with this legislation and a decision to recertify, they will have the opportunity to continue that job for years to come,” Shuster said.

Recertification of each GEM-T costs an estimated $359,000, compared to approximately $5 million to procure a new missile.