Díaz-Balart, Giménez, and Mills Urge U.S. Army to Keep Florida as Home of Army Acquisition HQ
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Reps. Mario Díaz-Balart (FL-26), Carlos A. Giménez (FL-28), and Cory Mills (FL-07), along with a bipartisan group of Florida lawmakers, sent a letter to senior Army leadership to urge the U.S. Army to maintain central Florida as an acquisition headquarters as it considers a restructuring of its program offices, including Program Executive Office Simulation Training and Instrumentation (PEO STRI).
PEO STRI has been headquartered in Orlando, Florida for over 50 years, generating a $11.6 billion economic impact and driving over 30,000 high-wage jobs. It has been instrumental in drawing in private-sector investments, partnerships with academia, a brilliant talent poll, and a pro-business environment that have turned central Florida into a leading modeling and simulation center in the world. Although we fully support efficiency the Army through the Army Transformation Initiative, we are concerned that any potential divestment from the region would significantly hamper the Army’s ability to develop, test, and sustain the current and next-generation technologies that make it the lethal fighting force it is today.
Congressman Díaz-Balart said, “Modernizing our Army is essential to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow. However, we cannot overlook the criticality that existing operations bring to our technical advancements. That is why we are urging the Army to maintain its acquisitions headquarters in central Florida, where it benefits from close proximity to the Florida-based headquarters for U.S. Southern Command, U.S. Central Command, and U.S. Special Operations Command; three of the most vital combatant commands that our Army serves.”
“Florida is home to incredible talent, bolstered by our world-class universities and the nation’s third-largest veteran population. We must harness that advantage to ensure our servicemembers and defense industry partners have unmatched access to the expertise and innovation already thriving in Orlando,” said Congressman Carlos A. Giménez. “For more than half a century, Orlando has stood at the forefront of Army acquisition, simulation, and training. Maintaining a headquarters presence there will strengthen America’s readiness, deepen our defense partnerships, and support thousands of high-skilled jobs that power both our economy and our national security.”
“Central Florida plays a critical role in advancing America’s defense innovation,” said Congressman Cory Mills (FL-07). “Our modeling and simulation ecosystem is second to none, and any move to divest from this area would weaken our national security and disrupt decades of proven success.”
To read the letter, click here.
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