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Fort Drum likely to recieve $19 million for new training academy

U.S. Army Fort Drum & 10th Mountain Division
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Sens. Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) announced Wednesday the omnibus spending bill currently in Congress includes $19 million for Fort Drum.

The federal funds included in the spending bill will go towards building a state-of-the-art NCO training academy on base. The academy will include classrooms, a running track, offices and barracks. Enlisted soldiers looking to advance their careers will use the academy to learn the basics of leadership and communication.

The Department of Defense included the money for the new facility in a defense budget drafted back in February. The Department says Fort Drum’s current training facilities, in use during World War II, are old and expensive to maintain. According to the Department of Defense, the new facility will serves as a model for bases across the country.

The $1.1 trillion spending bill proposed in Congress will fund the federal government through September of next year. Congress must bass the spending bill to avoid a government shutdown.

The House is scheduled to vote Friday before sending the bill to the Senate.