Gen. Dennis L. Via, commanding general, U.S. Army Materiel Command, holds a brochure about the organic industrial base during a town hall he hosted for the Army Contracting Command-Rock Island workforce, June 20. (Photo by Liz Greenawalt, ACC-RI Publ...
ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, Ill. -- Gen. Dennis L. Via, commanding general, U.S. Army Materiel Command, held a town hall for the Army Contracting Command-Rock Island workforce, here, June 20.
Via, who was in town to preside over the U.S. Joint Munitions Command change of command ceremony held earlier in the day, reiterated the importance of Army contracting and the organic industrial base, both of which have a strong presence at Rock Island Arsenal.
"The number one priority is readiness, and there are key enablers," said Via. "One of the most critical key enablers is Army Contracting Command. If we didn't have Army Contracting Command, we wouldn't be able to function as an Army. It plays a critical role."
In discussing the 23 industrial facilities - depots, arsenals and ammunition plants -- that comprise the organic industrial base, Via said locations like Rock Island Arsenal are the nation's security insurance policy.
"If we didn't have these facilities and we got into an all-out war, we would be very challenged as a nation and we'd be challenged as a force to meet our requirements," said Via.
Acknowledging that workload continually fluctuates, Via said that he and other Army leaders actively encourage public-private partnerships.
"I think it's recognized more and more how valuable Rock Island is to the national security of the United States and how critical it is to the Army," said Via. "The more that we can get businesses here through public-private partnerships and other types of support on the installation, the better I think it will fare."
While here, he presented four-star pins to Jon Darland, Eric D. Jackson, Tina Moler, Lindsay Wingate, Nancy Cooksey, Lisa Lawson, Sarah Powell, Julie Bryant, David DeAnda, Maria Vera, Anna Whitcomb and Rose Meyrer. Via also presented four star coins to Lt. Col. Safiyya Gayton, Staff Sgt. Tom Green, and Staff Sgt. Richard Dybdahl.
"The future for Army Contracting Command is solid, it's bright, it's going to continue to be called upon to meet all of our requirements, not only here, but overseas," said Via. "No other organization in the Department of Defense has an expeditionary contracting capability except for Army Contracting Command."
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