TOOELE ARMY DEPOT, Utah - On 27 Aug, Gen. Dennis L. Via, commanding general, of the US Army Material Command (AMC), was welcomed back to Tooele Army Depot (TEAD), Utah, for his second visit, and was accompanied by Lt. Col. Michael Siegl, General's Aide-de-camp; Col. John Laskodi, Chief Initiatives Group; and James C. Dwyer, Chief of Staff for Logistics. He was briefed by Col. Roger McCreery, Tooele Army Depot Commander and Gary Carney, Deputy to the Commander who provided the depot mission overview, a short video of TEAD's capabilities and core competencies.
As the only large ammunition storage and shipping Depot in the western US, Via was well aware of TEAD's strategic positioning, access to major transportation hubs for rail, air, water shipments, and the only site capable of responsive power projection to the Pacific area.
The visitor's were given the opportunity to tour the Pilot Model Shop and observed the functioning of one of TEAD's Ammunition Peculiar Equipment (APE), which was designed, manufactured and tested onsite. John Godwin, Project Manager, gave an active demonstration of the Safety Certification System for small brass .50 caliber and smaller. The APE 1408 heats spent brass casings to remove any residual energetic, and then the APE 1410 deforms the casings so they can be safely recycled.
During the general's visit, he encouraged TEAD management to continue their marketing efforts especially for the unique capabilities. He explained the importance of partnering with public and private agencies and also within other agencies of Department of Defense (DoD). "This is a major thrust and has high congressional interest and is supported by the Secretary of Defense as a valuable means to maintain our expertise in our industrial bases," stated Via.
Via explained to the Depot staff that he has personally hosted workload conferences promoting to CEO's of large corporations so they know what AMC agencies are capable of and how fast and cost effectively they can deliver. He explained partnership efforts are of utmost importance to ensure a strong Army as we face the challenges of continuing budgets cuts and how AMC headquarters are already working to reduce the impact to readiness next year and beyond.
Via was interested in one of the Depot's current partnerships with Defense Logistic Agency (DLA) which is fabricating one ton containers for spent mercury that is currently stored at Hawthorne Army Depot, NV. There are no containers on the market that meets Department of Transportation (DOT) stringent criteria for mercury storage. In Fiscal Year 13, TEAD has manufactured 400 of the One Ton Mercury containers with four option years for an additional 1,600 containers which will meet or exceed the DOT criteria.
"This is as an excellent example of finding our unique capabilities that match customer requirements that are not available any where else in the private sector or off the shelf suppliers," stated Via. "I'm convinced that this capability makes TEAD the best in Department of Defense."
Because of TEAD's alternative energy accomplishments, Via was interested in the renewable wind and solar efforts, and partnership with Infinia Corp., a local Utah company. He was given a tour by Layne Packer, Infinia, Corp. of the newly installed 430 Stirling Solar Array PowerDishes. Also, Royal Rice, TEAD energy conservation manager briefed him on the wind turbine that has been functioning and producing electricity since 2010. With the two completed alternative energy projects, the Depot will receive approximately sixty percent of its electricity. Other projects were explained that have already been approved for future installation at the Depot.
TEAD is striving to become Net Zero within the next five years.
As the group finished their tour, Via applauded TEAD's ongoing marketing efforts and stressed the need to continue in building more public private partnerships. "We must consistently market our capabilities and tell company CEO's what we do……there are companies out there looking for this type of expertise and capabilities….working together we can make it happen," stated Via.
As the visit continued, Via and party returned to the Depot's headquarters for briefings and demonstration of the conventional ammunition core mission. Jerry Romano, Chief, Shipping and Receiving Division, presented a briefing on the TEAD's aggressive shipping, receiving and storage capabilities and how this mission is the western hub for conventional ammunition. A demonstration of the Depot's Straddle Carrier was given to show the capabilities of the carrier and how it loads, lifts, and transports conventional ammunition to storage sites or outloading areas. This is a unique piece of equipment that TEAD uses for movement of ammunition within the ammunition area.
Romano updated Via on the progress of storing C-4 rocket motors at Tooele Army Depot, South Area, for the Missile Defense Agency (MDA). Again, demonstrating an excellent partnership for the DoD and TEAD.
Also discussed were other potential partnerships for the property and facilities of the Tooele Army Depot, South Area.
During his visit, Via also took the time to present four deserving TEAD employees with his "4-Star" general's coin: Ron Durrant, Quality Assurance Specialist (CP15); Craig Black, Engineering Technician for the Korean Deactivation Furnace project; Royal Rice, Alternative Energy Project Manager; and Todd Buckner, Production Controller for the Depot's Open Burn/Open Detonation Program.
In ending, Via stated; "Thank you. You are all part of a winning team. Tooele Army Depot has some very unique capabilities and needs to continue with the aggressive marketing plans." Even though this was not Via's first visit to the Depot, he mentioned that he enjoyed and appreciated his visit and the update on the core missions.
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