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For
over 200 years American strength and independence has rested on our
military preparedness and manufacturing industrial base. The U.S.
military forces continue to be the best trained, best equipped fighting
force in the world, and much of this success can be attributed to the
clothing and textile (C&T) items supplied by U.S. manufacturers.
The
Berry Amendment, which has been in place for over 50 years, requires that
DoD purchase only U.S.-made items for our fighting forces. There have been numerous efforts to
amend or eliminate this requirement but it is essential that it remain unchanged
to ensure that our warfighters have the items needed in time of peace or
war.
In
2009, the Kissell Amendment became law, effecting many Berry
Amendment-type requirements for Department of Homeland Security clothing
and textile purchases.
In
order for our military to maintain its strength and world dominance,
DSCP’s procurement system must be strong and continue to improve the way
it provides C&T items to our warfighters worldwide. NTA is working with DSCP to make the
current system even stronger and more efficient.
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NTA works with our government to assure the continuous supply of
vital military textiles and clothing.
· The
Defense Supply Center Philadelphia (DSCP) is the primary customer for
organizations selling C&T items to the Department of Defense
(DoD).
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DSCP, historically, buys $1.5 billion annually of C&T
products.
· In
wartime, DSCP's C&T purchases can easily double or triple.
· DSCP
buys more than 8000 individual items.
· When
individual sizes are included, the number of items jumps to over 30,000.
·
The Berry Amendment requires that DoD purchase
only U.S.-made C&T items for our fighting forces.
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It is critical that the textile
industry have a forum to discuss issues and speak to our government with
a single voice on industry-wide procurement matters. The National Textile Association
provides this forum through its Government Textile Committee. We invite
interested industry members to join NTA and participate in this
group.
The activities of this committee are
critical to our national defense.
DoD relies heavily on the U.S. textile industry to improve
products through technology application, to provide items when needed,
and to be available to increase production quickly in time of
conflict. The U.S. textile
industry has never failed to support our military forces. It is
imperative that our committee represent the commitment of the U.S.
textile industry to meet U.S. military demand, including the potential
for sudden and prolonged surges. This has made this country the
superpower that it is today.
Details on membership
are available at:
NTA, 6 Beacon Street, Suite 1125, Boston, MA 02108.
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NTA provides a forum where members can meet to
discuss government contracting issues.
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NTA arranges industry meetings with
senior officials from the military.
· We
also meet with DoD procurement, R&D, and others to
identify problems and seek solutions.
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NTA advocates a strong Berry Amendment and fights changes that
would weaken it.
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NTA supported the enactment of the Kissell Amendment which
extended Berry Amendment-like provisions to vital textile and clothing
acquisitions by the Department of Homeland Security.
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NTA represents the U.S. textile industry for the Department of
Homeland Security and other government agencies.
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