Rock Island Arsenal, Ill. -- For the first time, the Joint Munitions Command Headquarters hosted the annual Armament Retooling and Manufacturing Support Program workshop, here, on November 30. The workshop involved representatives from across the country, discussing recent ARMS program accomplishments and challenges, how the program processes its request for use of facilities, as well as best practices and future initiatives.
Jeremy Jackson and Denise Argo, JMC ARMS team, facilitated the event. In addition to government personnel, ARMS representatives from each installation's operating contractors were in attendance.
The goal of the workshop was to continue the progress of the ARMS Program by streamlining processes and improving marketing tools. "We need to educate stakeholders and formalize our policies through a team approach," said Jackson. "This workshop gives us that opportunity."
Larry Franz, ARMS Program Manager, Picatinny Arsenal, encouraged an honest and straightforward dialogue during the course of the workshop. Franz believes there are opportunities to improve the program with direct conversations among the participants. "There's a financial benefit for everyone here in the room."
Denise Argo echoed Franz's comments. "We must come up with new ideas and outside the box opportunities" to promote the program. "Something new comes up each year, let's share those ideas."
ARMS representatives also met with Army Contracting Command personnel, to discuss how to improve the financial management of the program.
During Fiscal Year 2016, the ARMS Program obligated more than $4.6 million to execute proposed projects. In addition, three sites; the Lake City Business Center, the Southeast Iowa Commerce Center and the Hawthorne Technology and Industrial Center were certified by the states of Missouri, Iowa and Nevada, respectively. These certified sites are marketed by the State Economic Development representatives, providing commercial businesses with relevant information on facilities and land that are available at the Lake City, Iowa, and Hawthorne installations. With the passage of the 2016 National Defense Act, the tenant-use agreement duration has been effectively extended to a maximum of 50 years.
The ARMS Program helps defray and reduce each installations' operating costs. In addition, it creates new jobs and compensates for reduced government production that would negatively impact the local communities. In Fiscal Year 2015, the Army saved $12 million and created 1,839 jobs. Since its inception in 1993, the program has generated $558.4 million in cost savings.
The ARMS program is managed through a cooperative effort between the PEO Ammunition office, located at Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey, and the Joint Munitions Command, located at Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois. The Project Director Joint Services at Picatinny manages and funds the program, supported by the JMC ARMS team at Rock Island.
The ARMS program is executed at the sites by the facility operators at the Government-Owned Contractor-Operated installations.
The ARMS Program rents government-owned land for industrial, commercial, and office development, as well as buildings and infrastructure to private businesses. The ARMS program was established by Congress in 1993 to encourage the commercial use of underutilized property at select installations. Currently, six ammunition installations managed by JMC participate in the program -- Lake City Army Ammunition Plant, Holston Army Ammunition Plant, Milan Army Ammunition Plant, Iowa Army Ammunition Plant, Radford Army Ammunition Plant, and Hawthorne Army Depot.
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