TACOM Commanding General pushes modernization, workforce development

By Randy TisorApril 9, 2021

Randl Besse, Advanced Manufacturing Project Manager, Advanced Manufacturing Center of Excellence, Rock Island Arsenal – Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center, explains the process of printing complex parts using additive manufacturing to Maj. Gen. Darren Werner, commanding general, Tank-automotive and Armaments Command. Werner visited RIA-JMTC April 6-7.
Randl Besse, Advanced Manufacturing Project Manager, Advanced Manufacturing Center of Excellence, Rock Island Arsenal – Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center, explains the process of printing complex parts using additive manufacturing to Maj. Gen. Darren Werner, commanding general, Tank-automotive and Armaments Command. Werner visited RIA-JMTC April 6-7. (Photo Credit: Debralee Best) VIEW ORIGINAL

DETROIT ARSENAL, Mich. – Over a two-day visit to Rock Island Arsenal – Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center, the Tank-automotive and Armaments Command’s commanding general, Maj. Gen. Darren Werner, stressed putting people first in the Army’s and Army Materiel Command’s push toward the sustainment model of the future and the need for well-planned modernization efforts.

“We need to invest in people,” Werner said, adding that the current workforce needs to have training designed to develop them to be the workforce of the future and “the workforce we need.”

“When do we start training people to be able to do that new job? Well, we have to start now and develop a training program,” he said, adding, “when we create a new business unit, the workforce has already received baseline-level training, and they're ready for it.”

Werner also discussed working with enterprise partners and other stakeholders, citing the importance of communication across different organizations as the needs of the Army change, driving innovation as a result of new requirements.

“Synchronization is incredibly important. That's how we capitalize on a bigger scale, on a grander scale, to stay current with requirements. We’ve got to be able to see into the future as new (requirements) are developed.

“The point I want to make is that, as you're developing your modernization plan, and because you're thinking in (the context of synchronization), know that your five business units will not be the same five business units forever; they're going to evolve, they're going to change. You've got to synchronize that like a ballet so they all come together, perform, and are effectively integrated with new technologies, a trained workforce, and our enterprise partners.”