FRANKFURT, Ky. — The U.S. Army on Friday awarded a $435 million contract to build a TNT production facility in western Kentucky that will become the nation’s premier source of explosive materials in decades, officials said. officials announced.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, a key player in securing the funding, said the new facility in his home state was part of a broader retooling of the U.S. defense industrial base needed to deter adversaries abroad. Trinitrotoluene, or TNT, is used in artillery shells, bombs and grenades.

Establishing domestic TNT production is vital to national defense, the military said. The current supply chain for crucial explosive materials is entirely dependent on foreign sources, he said.

The new TNT plant in Kentucky is part of the Army’s strategy to accelerate munitions production to ensure the U.S. military has “rapid access to critical resources,” said Maj. Gen. John T. Reim.

“It is not lost on us that victory on the battlefield begins at our manufacturing facilities,” Reim said during the announcement at a VFW post near where the plant will be built. “Today marks the beginning of the return of TNT production to American soil, a capacity we have not had since 1986.”

The contract was awarded to Repkon USA to build the plant in Graham, Muhlenberg County, about 135 miles southwest of Louisville. The project is expected to create approximately 200 to 250 jobs in the construction sector and approximately 50 permanent jobs.

Republican U.S. Rep. Brett Guthrie, who served as an artillery officer, said the war between Ukraine and Russia highlights the importance of having enough explosives for artillery shells. TNT is the primary explosive for 155mm artillery shells, the Army says.

“It’s an artillery battle going on and Ukraine and the West don’t have as many 155mm artillery shells as Russia can produce,” said Guthrie, whose district includes Muhlenberg County.

Bryan Van Brunt, president of Repkon USA Holdings Inc., called it a “historic opportunity” to build a vital production facility for the military that can be relied upon for decades.

“We are grateful to Army leadership for the trust they have placed in us in creating this installation,” he said in a news release.

McConnell, in the twilight of his long tenure as Republican leader in the Senate, emphasized the need to strengthen the nation’s defenses to deter foreign adversaries. McConnell, who has two years left in his current term, said a few months ago that he would leave his leadership post sometime after the election.

“We are facing a web of authoritarian regimes,” the Kentucky Republican said Friday. “North Korea, China, Russia, Iran and Iran’s proxies are all communicating with each other. They hate us and want to reform the world order in a way that benefits autocratic regimes.”

McConnell constantly invokes Ronald Reagan’s mantra of “peace through strength” to address foreign policy risks. In particular, McConnell and President-elect Donald Trump differ over the United States’ role in the world, reflecting a fundamental struggle among Republicans over whether to follow Trump’s “America First” doctrine. » in matters of foreign affairs or an internationalist vision supported by McConnell and standing alongside American allies. McConnell has repeatedly urged the United States to support Ukraine in its war against Russia.

“If the Russians are not defeated in Ukraine, this will not be the last defeat,” the senator said. “This will only be the beginning. …One way to view the situation is that of imminent conflict between authoritarian and democratic regions of the world.”