ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, Ill. -- A Senior Executive Service leader, D. Scott Welker, retired as the deputy to the commander, Joint Munitions Command Headquarters, during an official ceremony held here, July 27, after serving more than 32 dedicated years for the Department of Defense.
Brig. Gen. Richard B. Dix, commander, Joint Munitions Command and retired Maj. Gen. Yves Fontaine, former commander of Army Sustainment Command, served as the official retirement ceremony hosts.
Dix spoke of Welker's commitment to the Army and his support to him during his career. "As you go out the door, I want to give a personal thank you. You took a young lieutenant colonel, you gave him hope, faith and confidence and you believed in him. I'm proud to continue the legacy that you instilled in me."
"As you retire today and transition to the next phase of your life, the Army thanks you for you more than 32 years of service to our Soldiers," added Fontaine. "You can leave knowing you made a huge impact on the Army. You served as the role model for the next generation of leaders, assuring your legacy in the sustainment community."
In the civil service of the United States government, the SES is a position classification which is the equivalent to a general officer in the United States Armed Forces. In his position, he was the senior civilian within the Joint Munitions Command, which sustains, produces, stores, issues, and demilitarizes conventional ammunition for all U.S. military services.
Welker is a native of the Seattle, Washington area. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business and Economics from Washington State University, and a Master of Business Administration degree from St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa.
Welker began his federal career in November 1983 as an ammunition management intern at Savanna Army Depot in Savanna, Illinois. Upon graduation in January 1985 from the intern program, he was assigned to the Armament, Munitions and Chemical Command in Rock Island, Illinois, to continue work in ammunition management.
Mr. Welker served in various roles during his government career. His responsibilities included the integration of the ammunition stockpile management plan, munitions operational planning, and customer support functions. He also served as a logistics management specialist and spearheaded the supply depot operations mission and was responsible for establishing the Ammunition Tiering Concept Plan.
From November 1997 through July 2001, Welker served as the civilian executive assistant to the commanding general of the U.S. Army War Reserve Support Command. He managed the overall mission of prepositioned operations, resource management, systems integration, and materiel management.
Mr. Welker also served as the director of the Joint Munitions Command's Production Directorate. In that role, he executed the ammunition production missions of the command and oversaw planning, programming, and budget preparation to ensure on-time delivery of quality ammunition. He was subsequently assigned as the Army Field Support Command's first civilian Chief of Staff before becoming the Deputy to the Commander at the Army Sustainment Command in October 2005. He was assigned as the Deputy to the Commander, Joint Munitions Command, in June 2015.
During his remarks, Welker reminisced about the many assignments and experiences during his ammunition and logistics career. He has earned many awards and decorations, and was selected as a Presidential Rank Award Winner in the Meritorious Executives' category in 2010.
"I have been absolutely blessed to work with some great organizations," said Welker. "I had no clue I would ever get to this level. I was very, very fortunate and I've never taken it for granted. It was all about the people, it was all about the mission, and it was all about doing it together. It's been a wonderful career."
A receiving line was held following the retirement ceremony at which family, friends, co-workers and fellow Department of Defense officials congratulated Mr. Welker.
Social Sharing