WDAM-TV Hattiesburg
Camp Shelby receiving Senate funding for military construction
The funding from the bill will go towards both the Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center and the 172nd Airlift Wing at the Jackson International Airport.
By Renaldo Hopkins
WASHINGTON, D.C. (WDAM) - Camp Shelby in Hattiesburg will be receiving funding soon after United States Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) reported that a committee-passed bill will be providing more than $70.4 million in military construction projects Wednesday.
The funding from the bill will go towards both the Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center and the 172nd Airlift Wing at the Jackson International Airport. The bill passed by a vote of 25-5.
Hyde-Smith serves on the Senate Appropriate Committee that approved the FY2022 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs (MilCon-VA) Appropriations Bill, which prepares the measure for consideration by the full Senate.
“The Senate MilCon-VA bill would fund several Mississippi projects that have been on the drawing board for a while, all of which are designed to improve the operational efficiency of the military units working and training in our state,” Hyde-Smith said. “I am pleased to help advance the projects for Camp Shelby and the 172nd Airlift Wing, and to move this measure forward to benefit all service members, their families, and veterans.”
The Senate MilCon-VA bill recommends the following for Camp Shelby:
- $15.5 million to construct a 52,495-square-foot addition to the Maneuver Area Training Equipment Site (MATES) at Camp Shelby to improve National Guard vehicle maintenance and repair.
- $34.5 million to construct a 10-megawatt natural gas generation plant connected to the primary substation at Camp Shelby and to install a micro grid control center.
- $11.5 million to place the Camp Shelby electrical distribution infrastructure underground to create a more resilient energy supply system.