Derek Kilmer Helps Secure Money To Replace Old Tacoma Armory

At the urging of U.S. Representatives Adam Smith, Denny Heck and Derek Kilmer, the U.S. Army has approved funds to construct a National Guard Readiness Center to replace the old Tacoma Armory.

The three Congressman wrote a letter to the Secretary of the Army earlier this year highlighting the need for a replacement.

Funding for the new Tacoma Readiness Center will come by reprogramming dollars from existing Army construction projects that came in under budget.

"This is fantastic news not only for the Washington Guard, but for the entire state of Washington," said Major General Bret Daugherty, Washington's adjutant general. "A new readiness center ensures state of the art training for our citizen soldiers and helps us maintain the highest level of readiness possible to protect our communities during emergency situations. I commend the work of our Congressional delegation - and appreciate the tireless effort of the National Guard Bureau to help secure this funding."

“This is very welcomed news as it is past time that the Tacoma Armory be replaced. Several members of the delegation have raised the pressing need to replace this aging facility, and I'm pleased to see the Army finally agree. The new Tacoma Readiness Center will provide the Washington Guard with a new and safe facility to help them train and prepare for missions,” Congressman Adam Smith said.

“Replacing the Tacoma Armory is necessary to make sure the Washington Guard continues excelling at its mission. This is a smart, efficient use of existing federal dollars to support our local citizen soldiers,” Congressman Denny Heck said.

“A safe, modern training facility for the Washington National Guard is great news for our citizen soldiers, the Washington Guard’s mission, and our entire community,” Congressman Derek Kilmer (D-WA) said.

The old Tacoma Armory, built in 1902, was damaged beyond repair by severe weather and flooding in 2012. The site of the new Tacoma Readiness Center is still being determined.