The Pentagon is looking at Fort Custer near Battle Creek as a potential site to shield the eastern U.S. against an intercontinental ballistic missile attack. Current State’s Kevin Lavery talks with Michigan Republican Cong. Fred Upton about the proposal.
Two members of our Michigan congressional delegation were in the Battle Creek area yesterday for a couple of site tours. Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow and Republican Cong. Fred Upton visited Fort Custer and the VA Medical Center in Battle Creek. Fort Custer is an Army training facility that’s being looked at as a potential missile defense site. Fort Custer is one of four sites the Pentagon is considering. At one point, there were about 450 possible locations on the list.
This process has been underway for a couple of years now, and the goal is to build a defensive missile battery that would shield the Eastern United States. There are already similar facilities on the West Coast, in Alaska and California. Michigan is competing against sites in New York, Ohio and Maine.
If it’s built here, it’s estimated it will create about 300 direct jobs and more than a thousand indirect ones.
Current State’s Kevin Lavery speaks with Cong. Upton about what makes Fort Custer an attractive choice.
