Members of the Warrior Protection and Readiness Coalition (WPRC) will meet this week with more than forty Congressional offices as part of their ongoing effort to educate Members and staff on Capitol Hill about the need to adequately fund Individual Equipment programs for America’s Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines. This is an issue that is very dear to Soldier Systems Daily.
The WPRC is an industry-led coalition comprised of many of the leading manufacturers and suppliers of combat clothing and Individual Equipment for the American warfighter. The WPRC provides a unified voice for a key component of America’s domestic industrial base and is actively engaged in advocating for policies that ensure that our warfighters are outfitted with the clothing and equipment they require to ensure battlefield superiority. This week, the WPRC’s primary goal is to educate Congress and the Administration on the importance of meeting warfighter needs during times of war, as well as during times of relative peace.
Luke Hillier, the Chief Executive Officer of WPRC founding member ADS Inc., explained the WPRC’s mission, noting that “Operational readiness is not just a wartime concern. We need to make absolutely certain that when Congress stops providing supplemental appropriations to fund overseas conflict, our warfighters do not lose access to the best possible clothing and Individual Equipment available. Building the WPRC’s relationship with Congress is a critical step in raising awareness of the warfighters’ needs, and preventing a funding vacuum that our Armed Services and our country cannot afford.â€
The founding members of the WPRC include ADS Inc., Darn Tough, Insight Technology, Integrated Wave Technologies, London Bridge Trading, Milliken, New Balance, Otis, Pelican, Sperian, Surefire, Wiley X and W. L. Gore. Additional leaders in the Individual Equipment industry are expected to join as this effort gains momentum. For more information on the Warrior Protection and Readiness Coalition please visit www.warriorprotection.net.