Iowa, Illinois Local Leaders Talk On Rock Island Arsenal’s Future Amid Federal Cuts

It was the 'Unity for the Rock' press conference.

The Rock Island Arsenal is one of the largest employers in the Quad Cities, with about 250 military personnel and 6,000+ civilians.

Now, a memo from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has those working on the Arsenal on edge.

KWQC reports that the memo focused on "drastic restructuring and job cuts". Union leaders say as many as 400 jobs have been identified for immediate cuts.

Layoffs Could Really Hurt QCA's Economy

Besides risking a lot of Arsenal employees being forced to move away and taking that hit in our local economy, there are a lot of companies do business with the Arsenal.

Congressional delegations from both Iowa and Illinois have urged the military to think about Rock Island Arsenal's importance to national security as restructuring considerations happen.

The nonprofit Rock Island Arsenal Defense Alliance (of which Davenport Mayor Mike Matson is the Chair) has the goal of supporting the Arsenal.

In a release explaining why mayors and officials are having this press conference, they said: "In this crucial moment we want to ensure the community is well informed and to show regional alignment to support and defend one of our region’s largest employers." City leaders are calling for QCA community support for the Arsenal.

The Rock Island Arsenal is the Army's only active foundry and has over 80 groups with a presence on the base. They have a logistics command center that manages military supplies around the world.

You can watch the whole presser on KWQC's website.