TRENTON — Governor Phil Murphy has raised formal objections to a U.S. Army restructuring plan that could divert funding and missions away from Picatinny Arsenal, warning it would severely weaken the longtime New Jersey military facility and result in the loss of up to 1,000 jobs.
In a letter sent Monday to U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and U.S. Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll, Murphy expressed concern over the Army Transformation Initiative, which proposes consolidating 12 Program Executive Offices into seven new Capability Executive Offices. The change would reassign nearly $1 billion in program funding away from Picatinny and shift key acquisition responsibilities to other locations across the country.
“Removing this critical mission from Picatinny would not only dismantle a uniquely capable and proven center of excellence – it would result in poorer weapons being delivered to our soldiers, compromising their safety and weakening our battlefield effectiveness for generations to come,” Murphy wrote.
Picatinny Arsenal currently employs over 6,000 military, civilian, and contractor personnel who specialize in advanced weapons research and lifecycle management.