House works to halt potential closure of Army research center
The U.S. House Armed Services Committee is concerned that a shutdown of the Army's Research, Development and Engineering Command would undermine contributions of the science and technology community.
The House Armed Services Committee -- in an effort to halt possible efforts by the Army to shut down its Research, Development and Engineering Command -- has approved an amendment to the 2012 defense authorization bill requiring Army Secretary John McHugh to detail the financial benefits of the closure, reports Defense News.
RDECOM, headquartered at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Aberdeen, Md., is the Army's largest technology developer, according to the command's website, working through its eight laboratories, and research, development and engineering centers to ensure the dominance of the Army’s solutions and its warfighters.
A review acquisition panel originally cited the need for the closure, recommending that RDECOM’s research shops revert to their respective commands, but the committee disagress, stating in the amendment, "Without a unified voice and high-level advocate on behalf of Army [science and technology], the committee is concerned that the contributions of the S&T community will largely be overlooked or ignored."