Refurbishing Morocco tanks may save US jobs at Anniston Army Depot in Alabama

 

 

Rome (GA) News-Tribune/AP, Army-Technology.com (Anniston, Ala., July 9, 2012) — A few hundred workers at the Anniston Army Depot may not be laid off as soon as they expected.The depot had announced in January that it would cut nearly 500 temporary employees by Sept. 1 because of declining work, but now many may get their work extended because Morocco wants to have 200 tanks refurbished in the United States. If Congress goes along, the work will be done in Anniston and Lima, Ohio. A spokesman for the Defense Security Cooperation Agency says Congress has until July 17 to pass a resolution denying the work.A leader of the American Federation of Government Employees, Shrene Funderburg, told The Anniston Star that about 100 workers are already gone, but the tank work could get the others extended until October 2013.

The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) has notified Congressof a potential foreign military sale (FMS) for the upgrade and refurbishment of 200 M1A1 Abrams tanks for the Moroccan Government.Under the estimated $1.01bn FMS programme, Morocco has also requested the supply of 150 AN/VRC-87E and 50 AN/VRC-89E exportable single channel ground and airborne radio systems (SINCGARS), 200 M2 Chrysler mount-machine guns and 400 7.62mm M240 machine guns.

As part of the proposed package, the upgrades will be performed under a grant excess defence article (EDA) transfer to help support the modernisation of the Royal Moroccan Army’s Abrams tank fleet, aimed at enhancing its ability to meet current and future threats. “The upgrades will be performed under a grant excess defence article (EDA) transfer to help support the modernisation of the Royal Moroccan Army’s Abrams tank fleet, aimed at enhancing its ability to meet current and future threats.”

As well as upgrading the nation’s military capability, the newly configured tanks are also expected to further improve its interoperability with the US and other allies. General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) will be the prime contractor for the programme, while refurbishment work will be carried out at the Anniston Army Depot in Alabama and the Joint Systems Manufacturing Center in Ohio.

An upgraded variant of the US Army and Marine Corps M1A1 Abrams main battle tank (MBT), the M1A1 SA features gunners primary sight (GPS), new Block I 2nd generation forward looking infrared (FLIR) technology and a blue force tracking (BFT) system for enhanced effectiveness in the battlefield.

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Photo: The M1A1 SA is an upgraded version of the US Army’s M1A1 Abrams MBT. Photo: courtesy of TSGT Keith Brown, USAF.