Army to explore new work for Maine Military Authority

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Monday, U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, a member of the Senate Armed Services and Appropriations Committees, received an assurance from Dr. Joseph Westphal, Undersecretary of the Army, to send representatives to Aroostook County to explore options for new work at Maine Military Authority (MMA) in Limestone.     Sen. Collins first raised this issue with Dr. Westphal, former Chancellor of the University of Maine System, prior to his confirmation hearing last year. She also secured a commitment from Army Secretary John McHugh to assign Dr. Westphal to work with her and with state and local officials on a plan to secure adequate work for the facility.
     “I appreciate Dr. Westphal’s recognition that the Maine Military Authority does cost-effective work in refurbishing Humvees and other vehicles. It consistently performs this work at a lower cost than the Army’s own depots,” said Sen. Collins. “It is encouraging that the Army intends to look at MMA as an area where it could achieve savings by having more work directed to that unit, which provides high-quality, low-cost work for the Army.”
    For 13 years, MMA has provided a well-respected and dependable service to its customers, and it has similarly provided stable employment in northern Maine. MMA currently employs 370 workers. Last year, Sen.Collins was able to successfully secure $20 million in a defense spending bill to fund continued maintenance that saved 175 jobs in Aroostook County.