CHEROKEE, Ala - On Friday, Congressman Robert Aderholt (AL-04) spoke alongside local and national leaders at landmark ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new $2.4 billion public-private defense industrial facility in Cherokee, Alabama.

The facility in Barton Riverfront Industrial Park is part of a broader public-private effort to strengthen the U.S. maritime industrial base, representing more than $2 billion in combined investment and up to 1,000 new manufacturing jobs for the area.

"It was a privilege to help open an event that has been years in the making-an effort that many worked toward and believed in. This 2.2 million square foot facility will now be a symbol of U.S. defense, anchoring shipbuilding and maritime production in Northwest Alabama. Proving that maritime dominance is not just a coastal priority.

This project didn't happen by accident. It happened because people believed in this community, and because we made a deliberate effort to bring opportunities back to places that had been overlooked.

This facility is only part of a much larger opportunity, and I intend to keep working until that full potential is realized. Because that's what this community has always done. America needs sea power more than ever, and Alabama is up to the challenge. We will build a 21st century collaborative campus here that no conventional shipyard or industrial park can rival.

With the leadership of President Trump and Republican majorities in Congress, we passed the One Big Beautiful Bill, legislation focused on restoring American strength. And I worked to ensure that communities like ours were part of that vision. Alongside my colleagues in the Alabama delegation, we helped turn that vision into reality right here at home.

By investing in workforce training and building the right partnerships, we made sure Alabama's Fourth Congressional District would be ready when opportunity came and ready to compete for the kind of jobs that strengthen both our economy and our national security. And Friday, we saw that work pay off.

This facility will help bring thousands of manufacturing jobs and new opportunities to Northwest Alabama. But just as importantly, it will help restore America's ability to produce the tools necessary to defend freedom and maintain strength at sea.

I want to thank Senator Tuberville, Senator Britt, Senator Wicker, and Armed Services Chairman Mike Rogers. We all worked diligently in the crafting of the One Big Beautiful Bill to make this happen today. But government alone doesn't build something like this. Thank you to AE Industrial Partners and AE Shoals, Hadrian, the Retirement Systems of Alabama leaders, and the Shoals Economic Development Authority.

This is just the beginning of a stronger region, a stronger workforce, and a stronger United States of America."