Under Secretary of the Army recognizes importance of AMC, Redstone Arsenal

By Kimberly Hanson, AMCDecember 10, 2014

Under Secretary visits AMC and Redstone Arsenal
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. (Dec. 9, 2014) -- In his first visit to Redstone Arsenal, Under Secretary of the Army Brad Carson called the U.S. Army Materiel Command a "jewel" for the country and stressed the important role the installation plays in national defense.

Carson, who was sworn in as Under Secretary March 27, visited here Dec. 8-9.

"I think across the joint force, we don't always appreciate all the things AMC (Army Materiel Command) brings to the fight," he said. "The comparative advantage of the U.S. military is in logistics and sustainment, and AMC is really the heart of that, not only for the Army but for the entire joint force."

He recognized AMC's management of the Army's Organic Industrial Base, known as the OIB, which is comprised of arsenals, depots and ammunition plants that manufacture and reset Army equipment, and noted that the unique critical capabilities they provide to the services are "really quite awesome." Many of those capabilities cannot be replicated in the private sector.

"The OIB is an unsung part of our national security," Carson said. "We need to make sure as we enter this period of fiscal austerity that we don't lose the OIB which we will need again very soon, and which is constantly called on even today with its unique capabilities."

As Under Secretary, Carson also holds duties as the Army's chief management officer, responsible for the Army's budget. He said it will take years to recover from the effects of the combination of sequestration and budget cuts that has created a hardship for the Army. Even well-placed installations like Redstone Arsenal with critical missions like those of AMC and U.S. Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command, which he also visited during his trip, will feel the consequence of less money for logistics, sustainment, and procurement.

"Sequestration affects every aspect of Army life and every installation the Army has, so we need to work with Congress to get some relief," said Carson. "Redstone Arsenal is a great installation and AMC is a great bedrock tenant here, but there is really no part of the Army that will be insulated from sequestration."

As the second highest ranking civilian official in the Department of the Army, Carson commended Army civilians and contractors for their commitments and sacrifices. AMC is the largest civilian employer within the Department of the Army, and more than 35,000 civilians and contractors work on Redstone Arsenal across all its tenant organizations.

"Army civilians and contractors are critical, and the contributions they make are noticed at the very highest of levels," Carson said. Working with the secretary of the Army, he is focused on ensuring that civilians have the career paths, educational opportunities, and opportunities for growth that are routinely afforded to uniformed personnel.

"It's a great priority to make sure that our civilian workforce is acknowledged because their contributions really are heroic," he said. "We want to make sure that we keep their morale up in the age of furloughs and sequestration, and retain their capabilities within the Army."

The under secretary also commended the Huntsville, Alabama, community for their support to Redstone Arsenal, noting the city as a magnet for young engineers and the best and brightest minds in science and technology.

"Huntsville is a remarkable community," said Carson. "The support it gives to AMC and the other commands located here is really a model for the entire nation."

Finally, Carson noted AMC's enduring role as the Army looks to the future.

"As the Army thinks about what it's going to look like over the next 10 to 15 years, AMC is going to have a continued extraordinarily important role across the Army and across the joint force in maintaining the security of the country," he said.

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Under Secretary of the Army Brad Carson

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