PAWTUCKET, R.I. (AP) - Rhode Island U.S. Sen. Jack Reed is adding his voice to calls for the military to reduce dependence on foreign suppliers, saying boosting domestic manufacturing will strengthen national security.
Reed is a member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee. He argues that keeping the nation safe means ensuring the supplies, material, equipment and other systems the U.S. military relies on are produced at home.
Reed was speaking Friday during the Alliance for American Manufacturing summit.
He praised this year’s report by Manufacturers’ News Inc., showing Rhode Island added 1,045 manufacturing jobs last year, an increase of 1.8 percent.
The Evanston, Ill.-based publisher says that’s the first time it recorded a manufacturing gain for Rhode Island since 2000. Rhode Island is now home to 1,765 manufacturers, employing 59,092 workers.
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