(WASHINGTON)—On the heels of being designated late last year as the innovation center for SkyFoundry, the Department of Defense's drone program, comes the news that the Blue Grass Army Depot will receive nearly $1 billion to expand energetics manufacture.

US Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said he'd secured nearly $2 billion for Kentucky, nearly all of it to be spent on the state's defense industry. In all, BGAD was the biggest winner of a $1.7 billion pot of cash earmarked in this federal fiscal year's Defense Appropriations bill for defense projects across the Commonwealth. McConnell is Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee.

The measure now goes to President Trump to be signed into law.

In all, BGAD will receive $903 million for expanding manufacturing capacity for energetics materials. Another $59.96 million will be spent on energetics manufacturing capability resiliency. Construction of a new raw water line priced at $3.2 million will also be invested, as well as another $1 million to develop new remote sensing techniques for surveillance at defense facilities.

“The nearly $1 billion in investment that this legislation sets aside for Blue Grass Army Depot not only represents a powerful endorsement of its potential as a cornerstone of America’s energetics manufacturing base, but also in the talent and value of the Depot’s workforce," Madison County Judge Executive Reagan Taylor said in a statement. "I appreciate Senator McConnell’s sustained focus and working alongside us on job replacement at Blue Grass Army Depot and am grateful for this investment in the Depot and Madison County’s shared future.”

The defense spending also includes $130 million for submarine shipbuilding facilities in the Louisville region, tens of millions more for weapons systems production across the state, including SeaRAM defense systems and Phalanx weapons, and multiple other defense-related projects such as $50 million to support research efforts to enhance the F-15EX fighter’s engines.

The University of Kentucky will receive $29 million for advanced materials development and submarine stealth technology, while the University of Louisville will receive $20.5 million for cybersecurity training and defense innovation initiatives, among other projects.

“Hard power is the cornerstone of U.S. national security—securing federal funding for Kentucky’s defense priorities is essential to keeping our nation safe and our commitments credible. And investing accordingly is among the core responsibilities of the Congress,” McConnell said in a statement. 

The U of L will also receive about $30 million for precision medicine, while UK will get $30 million for a new facility focused on cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes research. Campbellsville University will receive $3 million for a new College of Mental Health, $2.7 million will go to Covington to address the opioid epidemic, and $1.5 million for an autism center in Eastern Kentucky.

Among the remaining appropriations, infrastructure across the state was addressed with $7 million going to Louisville for crumbling cement at the Belvedere, and $4.5 million for a pedestrian bridge in Covington, among other expenditures.