WASHINGTON — Mitch McConnell’s decision to head the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense will give the outgoing GOP leader sweeping influence on funding for personnel, operations, equipment and modernization efforts across the U.S. military.

It will also mean that Kentucky’s major military bases — including Fort Knox, Fort Campbell and the Blue Grass Army Depot — are likely to reap benefits from the senior senator’s oversight of hundreds of billions of dollars.

“McConnell’s clearly indicating the priority he puts on defense appropriations,” said John Bolton, who served as national security adviser in the first Trump administration in an interview Friday. “I’m very happy to hear that.”

In describing the current threat to America as the “gravest...since the Second World War,” McConnell said he welcomed the responsibility to mold the future of U.S. national security.

“I intend to play an active role in this urgent mission as Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, and I look forward to working closely with incoming Chair Susan Collins to accomplish our shared goal,” McConnell said.

McConnell had been contemplating a move to chair the Senate Appropriations Committee once he formally relinquishes his role as leader next year, but decided he could still wield ample power in this subcommittee role under the appropriations umbrella.

The subcommittee’s work is critical in responding to evolving global threats, particularly from nations like China and Russia. It allocates funds for advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence and hypersonic weapons.

The role is often in tension with the president’s defense budget request. For instance, this year’s Senate bill for military appropriations included $852 billion in funding, exceeding President Biden’s proposal by $2.4 billion.

McConnell has consistently argued that defense allocations are too low, a point of contention that could set up another clash with President-elect Donald Trump, who campaigned on ending foreign involvement in wars overseas, like Ukraine’s fight against Russian aggression.

But Bolton expects McConnell to stand as a bulwark against the isolationist tendencies in his party. The defense budget is “inadequate,” in the eyes of military hawks like Bolton, who said, “McConnell undoubtedly sees that and that’s what he’ll try to fix.”

McConnell’s seniority on Capitol Hill has long benefited Kentucky’s military installations.

The Blue Grass Army Depot, a storage facility located about 40 miles south of Lexington, has received more than $4 billion to complete one of its missions of destroying dangerous chemical materials. As a major employer of 1,450 people that pays some of the highest wages in the region, the army depot is crucial to the economic vitality of Madison County.

McConnell has also directed significant resources to Fort Campbell, securing $135 million for the renovation of the nearly 50-year-old barracks and $38 million for the construction of a large-scale vehicle and aerial gunnery training range over the last year.

In 2019, he helped secure $26 million for a new range at Fort Knox designed to enhance training and operational readiness for military units. The following year, the U.S. Army announced Fort Knox as its headquarters for its V Corps, a unit designed for military deployments across Europe.

“As Leader, Mr. McConnell was a master of the Senate on par with LBJ,” said Austin Durrer, a former senior adviser to members on the House Defense Subcommittee on Appropriations.

“I suspect he’ll carry a big stick as Chair of Defense Appropriations, benefiting both his home state and national defense priorities writ large.”

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