Donnelly's Bipartisan Work To Support Crane Leads To Hundreds More New Jobs

Last updated on Wednesday, October 31, 2018

(INDIANAPOLIS) - Tuesday afternoon, Radius Indiana and Naval Support Activity Crane announced that Crane plans to add more than 400 new jobs in 2019, building on its current workforce of 6,000.

As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly has led bipartisan efforts to increase Crane's role in our national defense and has raised the profile of the installation by bringing numerous high-ranking military leaders to Crane - including the first ever visit by a sitting Secretary of Defense in 2016.

Since Donnelly joined the Senate in 2013, Crane has added more than 400 jobs, in addition to those announced today. Earlier this year, Donnelly helped bring $24 million to Crane for facilities improvements, including the construction of a needed shipping and receiving depot. Donnelly also secured significant funding in this year's national defense bill supporting Crane's hypersonics and systems engineering programs.

Donnelly, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said, "The men and women at Crane - both at the Naval Surface Warfare Center and at the Army Ammunition Activity - are doing work that is critically important to our national defense, as well as the safety and security of our servicemembers. As then-Secretary of Defense Ash Carter said on his visit to Crane in 2016, Crane is 'a national treasure.' I'm proud to have advocated for its mission the last several years and am looking forward to its continued growth."

Over the past several years, Donnelly has brought top leaders to Crane to show them the cutting-edge research and technology development done there by Hoosiers, as well as to discuss the importance of Crane to the surrounding community and its significant economic impact. Those leaders have included:

Then-Secretary of Defense Ash Carter;
Richard V. Spencer, Secretary of the Navy;
General David Goldfein, Chief of Staff of the Air Force;
General Robert Neller, Commandant of the Marine Corps;
Admiral John Richardson, U.S. Chief of Naval Operations;
General John Hyten, Commander of U.S. Strategic Command;
General Joseph Votel, then-Commander of Southern Command, now Commander of Central Command; and
Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Jack Reed.

Donnelly has been a champion for Crane and led efforts to grow the Navy and Air Force's presence at the installation. In recent years, Crane's mission and workforce have grown significantly. In 2017, Donnelly successfully advocated to save 90 jobs at Crane Army Ammunition that were threatened by a federal hiring freeze.

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