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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 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 more efficient.
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· NTA works
with our government to assure the 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).
· 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 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.
· 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.
· NTA
advocates a strong Berry Amendment and fights changes that would weaken it.
· NTA
also seeks the extention of the Berry Amendment provisions to vital
textile and clothing acquisitions by the Department of Homeland Security.
· NTA
represents the U.S. textile industry for the Department of Homeland
Security and other government agencies.
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