The Lima News – U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown is on target when he voices concern about funding for tank production at Joint Systems Manufacturing Center. To his credit, he’s been working side-by-side with Lima’s task force since its formation and continues to be fully engaged in building its case in Washington.

Defense Daily, an organization that closely follows the U.S. military, recently published a story about the back-and-forth going on between Brown and Army Secretary John McHugh. Relentlessly, Brown is continuing to press McHugh to reconsider his plans to temporarily stop procurement of tanks made in Lima.

The Army did not request funds for tank production in 2012. At the time the budget was being looked at, McHugh said the Army wanted to temporarily stop procurement and modernization of the tank until 2017. Congress restored funding in the 2013 budget even though the Army did not request it, but Brown argues it doesn’t go far enough. Currently, several orders from foreign countries are bolstering operations at JSMC.

“Notwithstanding your assurances, I remain concerned that we as a nation are depending on foreign military sales to sustain domestic tank production,” Brown said in a June 7 letter to McHugh.