RICHMOND, Ky. -- For his first visit to Blue Grass Army Depot, Gen. Dennis L. Via, commander of Army Materiel Command, arrived in style Wednesday morning via Black Hawk Helicopter from Lexington Blue Grass Airport, courtesy of the Kentucky National Guard.
Gen. Via, one of only 12 current Army four-star generals, was visiting to see firsthand the installation's multiple missions and capabilities, as well as to personally meet with as many of the Depot's civilian workforce as possible to thank them for their service and to answer their questions.
Hosting was BGAD Commander Col. Lee G. Hudson, along with Blue Grass Chemical Activity (BGCA) Commander Lt. Col. Jack Morgan and Blue Grass Chemical Agent-destruction Pilot Plant (BGCAPP) Project Manager Jeff Brubaker.
"I commend the leadership and the workforce here at Blue Grass," said Via, "both for what I've seen and who I've met. It's a privilege, as well as inspiring, to meet the men and women dedicated and committed to supporting our warfighters."
Via also praised the working relationship and partnership between the Depot's three unique Army organizations and the positive attitudes of their workforces.
Via's visit included briefs by BGCA and BGCAPP personnel at the chemical weapons destruction facility currently under construction, before moving on to stops at BGAD conventional munitions operations and facilities, including the Depot's comprehensive shipping and receiving area, ammunition maintenance, renovation and inspection areas, chemical defense equipment shipping and inspection, and industrial services.
"I want all to understand that the military value of Blue Grass is a highly valued and critical component of our country's military industrial organic base," he added. "I'm sure the local community equally values what this installation supplies in terms of economic impact."
As one of the three primary Army commands, AMC is the Army's premier provider of materiel readiness -- technology, acquisition support, materiel development, logistics power projection, and sustainment -- to the total force, across the spectrum of joint military operations. If a Soldier shoots it, drives it, flies it, wears it, eats it or communicates with it, AMC provides it.
AMC is headquartered at Alabama's Redstone Arsenal, and impacts or has a presence in all 50 states and 144 countries. Manning these organizations is a work force of more than 65,000 dedicated military and civilian employees, many with highly developed specialties in weapons development, manufacturing and logistics.
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