ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL- Leaders are looking to stay competitive after a drawback in the War on Terror.
The Rock Island Arsenal is the Quad Cities' second largest employers, with about 6,500 workers. Colonel Tauke says the Joint Manufacturing Technology Center for instance, was in higher demand in 2007 and 2008. Since then though, workers have had to find extra work to stay competitive.
"As you go by there, you'll see a whole bunch of ambulances that they're building for the National Guard and other contracts," Colonel Tauke said Thursday. "It's just like any other manufacturing business."
The Colonel would not discuss President Donald Trump's budget proposal that calls for a round of military base closures in 2021. Last month though, his boss General Edward Daly, said he was confident the Arsenal could survive a round of military closures.
Thursday, June 8, we are having 'Breakfast With' Dan Breidenstein from Living Lands and Waters. We're meeting him at the group's I-80 Restoration Project site in Rock Island County, to talk about how the project is going and how you can get involved. Our coverage starts at 5 a.m. If you have a question for Breidenstein, click here.