Dale Barnett, the National Commander of The American Legion, left in red cap, talking to Kathleen Seeloff. Seeloff is a quality control inspector and she just briefed Barnett on how the arsenal inspects mortar systems. — at U.S. Army Watervliet...
WATERVLIET ARSENAL, N.Y. (April 2016) -- The American Legion's National Commander set the tone immediately upon his arrival here on April 14 by stating, "We are partners."
Dale Barnett, the National Commander of The American Legion, took a detour during his three-day visit to New York to check out the Army's oldest, continuously operating arsenal -- the Watervliet Arsenal. He was elected national commander of the 2.2 million-member American Legion on Sept. 3, 2015, in Baltimore during the 97th National Convention of America's largest veterans organization.
During the visit, Barnett received overview briefings from the arsenal commander, Col. Lee H. Schiller Jr., and from Lee Bennett, the director of the Army's Benet Laboratories. Beyond the briefings, Barnett witnessed tubes being forged at 2,000 degrees, barrels being straightened with presses exerting hundreds of tons of pressure, quality control processes, and a variety of products in Benet Lab's product display area. This was Barnett's first visit to the Watervliet Arsenal, or to any Army arsenal for that matter.
Barnett said on several occasions that he is concerned for the Army's readiness, as well as the arsenal's readiness, to support surge operations. In answer to that line of questioning, arsenal leadership touted the value of maintaining an Army-owned and operated manufacturing center as a way for the Army's Organic Base to keep a warm base of skills readily available.
Several examples of the arsenal's rapid response to the needs of the troops, from up-armored kits for light-skinned vehicles in 2010 to the bunker-buster bomb developed here during the first Gulf War, were highlighted by all who briefed.
Although the arsenal may not have answered all of Barnett's concerns about the Army's overall readiness, the arsenal's leadership feels confident that Barnett believes the arsenal remains ready to respond to the needs of the nation's troops. Just as it has for the last 202 years.
The Watervliet Arsenal is an Army-owned-and-operated manufacturing facility and is the oldest, continuously active arsenal in the United States having begun operations during the War of 1812. It celebrated its 200th anniversary on July 14, 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 had revenue in fiscal year 2014 that exceeded $117 million and provides an annual economic benefit to the local community in excess of $100 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.
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