DeLauro, Strong Lead 43 Members in Bipartisan Letter Urging Preservation of Army Aviation Industrial Base

May 14, 2026 Press Release WASHINGTON —Today, US Representative Rosa DeLauro, Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee and Co-Chair of the Army Aviation Caucus, released a bipartisan letter she led with Co-Chair Congressman Dale Strong (R-AL-5), to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth regarding the importance of preserving the Army aviation industrial base: “The industrial and organic base supporting Army rotary-wing aviation represents a critical national security asset that extends far beyond individual platforms,” the members wrote. “It includes prime manufacturers and a broad network of suppliers distributed across the country that sustain advanced manufacturing capabilities, skilled labor, engineering expertise, and surge production capacity, including our military’s covered depots. Once eroded, these capabilities may be costly, time-consuming, or in some cases impossible to rapidly regenerate.” The members formally request a briefing and a written report to Congress within 90 days addressing: The Department’s evaluation of theimpacts of planned Army aviation procurement reductions on the defense industrial base, including supplier viability, warm production lines, and surge production capacity; Steps being considered to mitigate potential losses incritical production andsustainment capabilities; How theDepartment is assessing whether minimum sustaining production rates maybe necessary to preserve strategic industrial capacity while modernization proceeds; and How these decisions align withbroader National Defense Strategy priorities related to industrial resilience and mobilization readiness, including any actions the Department may consider necessary to mitigate identified industrial-base risks. The text of the letter is available here . ### delauro.house.gov Issues : National Security