ANAD's speedy M1A2 reset praised

By Mrs. Jennifer Bacchus (AMC)July 8, 2010

ANAD's speedy M1A2 reset praised
1 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
ANAD's speedy M1A2 reset praised
2 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
ANAD's speedy M1A2 reset praised
3 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Col. William Sheehy, program manager for the Heavy Brigade Combat Team, speaks with Kelly Clopton, indirect support manager for Anniston Army Depot; Gary Geier, program manager for the depot's M1A2 SEP vehicle programs and Larry Phillips, program man... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

ANNISTON ARMY DEPOT, Ala - A rollout ceremony held here June 29 celebrated the depot's completion of 192 M1A2 System Enhancement Package, version 2, vehicles reset to Army standards and the speed at which that feat was accomplished.

"One hundred and ninety-two tanks in about six months - that is phenomenal and probably has never been done before," said Col. William Sheehy, program manager for the Heavy Brigade Combat Team, who was present to commemorate the event.

Sheehy listed some of the challenges, such as delayed delivery of vehicles and parts, which were overcome by Team Anniston. He praised the workforce for handling those obstacles in a timely and professional manner, particularly since each tank is headed to active duty units.

"The work you did was not to put tanks in storage. It was to put them in the hands of the warfighters," said Sheehy.

The M1A2 SEP v2 is a version of the M1Abrams tank with heavier suspension, giving it greater pulling power, as well as digital electronics and a Commander's Integrated Thermal Viewer, enabling the tank commander to see with infrared and night vision, like the tank's gunner does.

According to Jack Cline, deputy to the depot commander, the M1A2 tanks began arriving at the installation in November of 2009. The final vehicle was completed on June 30.

In the M1A2 SEP v2 reset program, also known as 10/20 reset, depot workers perform semiannual and annual maintenance, check the electronics systems and fire system, replace any missing modifications and perform all needed upgrades.

"When a vehicle comes out, is has been reset back to the Army's standards. It is not a back-to-new, zero miles vehicle, but it is fully mission capable," said Gary Geier, program manager for the depot's M1A2 SEP vehicle programs. "Normally, we reset between 15 and 20 tanks a month, but we did as many as 38 a month during this reset program."

Geier and Mike Burke, general manager of production operations at the depot, said that level of production was the result of teamwork by every organization involved.

"This was really a team effort," said Burke. "Look at the organizations involved, like the Defense Logistics Agency, who got vehicles offloaded and to our shops as quickly as possible."

Shops throughout the depot had to coordinate their efforts to keep production rolling. This was especially evident during checks of the various systems on each tank.

Since the reset program does not overhaul each component, problems were often detected in reassembly during testing of the M1A2's systems, particularly in the electrical systems.

Mechanic Earl Woods said bent parts and water in the electrical boxes were frequent causes of electrical system malfunctions found during testing, but the electrical shop worked hand-in-hand with the mechanics to get new or repaired parts to the production line as quickly as possible.

That team effort not only existed between the shops, but between the workers as well. Depot employees were asked to put in long hours, often working on Saturday and Sunday, to complete the reset program, but their fellow workers and supervisors made an effort to keep everyone's spirits up.

"We had Jimmy Williams, our supervisor, out here pushing us to keep going," said Shemere Williams, a mechanic in reassembly. "He told us he appreciated us and that he knew we were working long hours, but it would be over soon."