Top Army adviser tours, challenges Arsenal to better protect, use critical resources

WATERVLIET ARSENAL, N.Y. -- The Army's top adviser for the strategic direction of all matters pertaining to Army installations visited on June 18 the most historic and critically important manufacturing center in the Army -- the Watervliet Arsenal.

This was the first visit to the Arsenal by the Honorable Katherine Hammack, who has been the assistant secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy, and the Environment since 2010. During her visit, Hammack received updates about Arsenal manufacturing and met with leaders and the civilian workforce.

Given that Hammack's scope of responsibilities include the sustainability and environmental initiatives; military construction, operations, and maintenance; base realignment and closure (BRAC); privatization of Army family housing, real estate, and utilities; and the Army's installations safety and occupational health programs, this visit was not about bringing workload to the Arsenal.

She has been traveling throughout the Army, visiting installation after installation, talking about such issues as energy security, sustainability, and the need to develop resiliency to respond to and recover from a disruption of critical resources. And so, her visit here was more about how to ensure the long-term viability of the Arsenal by better positioning the command to seek greater efficiency and security of its resources and its operations.

Hammack said that it was great to finally visit the Arsenal and that she was very interested in hearing about the challenges the Arsenal is facing.

"My job is to be your (Arsenal) advocate, but I need to understand your requirements," Hammack said.

Hammack spent a considerable amount of time discussing with the Arsenal's leadership and key staff the need to look at how the Arsenal utilizes its resources -- land, water, and energy. She advised the command to take a hard look at how climate change is now disrupting what was once an unimpeded supply of resources throughout the Army and then, to develop strategies that will ensure the Arsenal can withstand and respond to those disruptions.

The Arsenal leadership welcomed the opportunity to discuss how the command maintains critical skills and capabilities in the face of declining workload requirements and budgetary reductions, said Joe Turcotte, the Arsenal's deputy commander.

But more importantly, Turcotte added, was the command's ability to highlight several initiatives that have brought greater efficiency to the operation of this Army-owned and operated manufacturing center.

From leveraging partnerships with private industry that lower the cost of manufacturing operations, to the leasing of underutilized space that helps ease the fixed-cost of operating a manufacturing center, to replacing 100-year-old waterlines that have been leaking untold gallons of water through the years, the Arsenal is investing every dollar it can to become more efficient, Turcotte said.

Despite these great talking points, Turcotte still took every opportunity he could to talk about the Arsenal's core mission, which is its role in providing the Defense Department an immediate manufacturing response to global contingencies.

"Because we are part of the Army's organic industrial base, we are an important part of the national security insurance policy that when called upon, can immediately leverage its unique manufacturing capabilities to respond to an urgent requirement," Turcotte said. "The Arsenal's unique skills, processes and critical capabilities are not duplicated anywhere in the United States' industrial base and we are very proud to showcase this national treasure, which is called the Watervliet Arsenal, to Ms. Hammack."

The U.S. Army Benét Laboratories was also a significant part of this visit. Benét Labs works hand-in-hand with Arsenal manufacturing. The Watervliet Arsenal is the only place in the Department of Defense where those who do research and design work within a five-minute walk of those who will machine the design. This synergy provides an environment of rapid response to the emerging needs of today's Army.

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The Watervliet Arsenal is an Army-owned-and-operated manufacturing facility and is the oldest, continuously operating arsenal in the United States, having begun operations during the War of 1812. It celebrated its 200th anniversary in July 2013.

Today's Arsenal is relied upon by U.S. and foreign militaries to produce the most advanced, high-tech, high-powered weaponry for cannon, howitzer, and mortar systems. This National Historic Registered Landmark has an annual economic benefit to the local community in excess of $90 million, and its 2014 revenue was about $117 million.

Benét Laboratories is a Department of the Army research, development and engineering facility located at the Watervliet Arsenal. It is a part of the Weapons & Software Engineering Center (WSEC), an organization under the Army's Armament Research, Development, and Engineering Center (ARDEC), which is located at Picatinny Arsenal, N.J.

Related Links:

Story: 200 years later, still in search of perfection

Watervliet Arsenal Slideshare Page

Watervliet Arsenal YouTube Page

Watervliet Arsenal Twitter Page

Watervliet Arsenal Facebook Page

Watervliet Arsenal Flickr Page