Times Record Staff
The 188th Wing and Fort Chaffee are set to receive a boost in funding to support missions in Fort Smith.
U.S. Sen. John Boozman, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies (MilCon-VA) subcommittee, announced Tuesday that provisions in an omnibus bill will stand to deliver benefits to Fort Smith s military bases.
Fort Chaffee will receive $15 million for the construction of the Arkansas National Guard Readiness Training Center, which will provide greater support for training exercises by Arkansas guardsmen.
The Razorback Range at Fort Chaffee will receive $8 million in funding under the Air Force Training section. The Razorback Range, an aircraft bombing and targeting range at Fort Chaffee, was transferred to the Arkansas Army National Guard from the 188th Wing in 2017.
U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR), chairman of the Senate Appropriations Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies (MilCon-VA) subcommittee, secured provisions in the omnibus that stand to deliver benefits to the Natural State.
“Congress has an obligation to fund the government. Passing the appropriations bills ensures we are investing in programs that support the needs of Americans. I’m proud to craft legislation that fully funds the VA MISSION Act and electronic health record modernization programs while supporting new initiatives to reduce and prevent veteran suicide,”
Boozman said. “I’m pleased Congress approved resources for programs important to Arkansas.”
User trial of the Joint Venture Protective Carbine.
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) said on Monday that a Carbine 5.56×30 mm Joint Venture Protective Carbine (JVPC) designed by its Pune-based facility has undergone its final phase of user trials, paving the way for its induction into services. During its extensive trials, the weapon has proved its efficacy in both extreme summer temperatures and winter conditions in high altitudes, said the DRDO.
The JVPC is a gas-operated semi bullpup-type automatic weapon, which has more than 700 rounds per minute rate of fire. The carbine has been designed as per the Indian Army’s General Staff Qualitative Requirements (GSQRs), by the Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE), a Pune-based facility of the DRDO. The weapon is manufactured at the Small Arms Factory, Kanpur, while the ammunition is manufactured at the Ammunition Factory, Khadki (AFK) in Pune.