Contact: Rob Ostrander 202.224.7627 Shana Stribling 202.224.0309
Friday, July 16, 2004

WASHINGTON U.S. Senator Kit Bond today announced that he helped secure $10.4 million for the Army's Counter-Explosive Hazards Center (CEHC) at Ft. Leonard Wood.

"This new Center will help the Army better train and protect our soldiers on the battlefield," said Senator Kit Bond. "Our soldiers defend our freedom on U.S. soil and abroad and we have an obligation to provide them with the facilities they need to train and fight. The Countermine Center in Ft. Leonard Wood is a facility that will save soldiers' lives."

As a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Bond was able to secure the $10.4 million for the Ft. Leonard Wood center in the fiscal year 2005 Military Construction Appropriations bill, which passed the full Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday.

The Center will help train our soldiers to safely recognize explosive threats such as landmines, booby-traps, and improvised explosive devices, as well as provide a state-side training facility for specialized equipment. The funds will also provide for Mine Detection Dogs and Specialized Search Dogs to help soldiers find landmines, caches, and explosive devices.

Bond stressed that there is a real need for the CEHC. The Center will better prepare our conventional forces to meet today's emerging threats. The Ft. Leonard Wood facility is key to improving the Army's ability to train and protect soldiers on the battlefield from hazardous explosive threats.

Kit Bond is Missouri's senior Senator and served twice as Governor before continuing his service in his third term in the United States Senate.