The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Federal money to focus on New England defense contractors
Connecticut officials are partnering with their counterparts in the other five New England states to use a federal grant to help small and medium-sized defense contractors.
The $1.5 million grant is coming from the U.S. Department of Defense’s Office of Economic Adjustment, according to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy. The money will be used to create an organization that will be known as the New England Regional Defense Industry Collaboration, Malloy said Friday.
“This new multi-state collaboration will advance the New England defense industry and help Connecticut’s small and mediumsized companies continue to grow and compete,” Malloy said in a statement. “This complements the many steps my administration has taken to strengthen Connecticut’s defense industry — from our historic partnerships with United Technologies, Sikorsky and Electric Boat, to our cutting-edge supply chain companies.”
The regional organization will spend the next year-and-a-half coordinating the growth of defenserelated businesses across New England, according to Malloy.
The primary goals of the group will be to help small and medium-sized businesses meet new cybersecurity requirements for participating in the defense industry supply chain. The group will also look to create a supplier network that will make it easier for large defense contractors to locate smaller suppliers that are able to meet their production, certification and process requirements.
Members of Connecticut’s congressional delegation said in a joint statement that the collaborative effort will “benefit our local economies, create jobs, and strengthen our national security.”