SCRANTON, Pa. — The Honorable Christine Wormuth, the Secretary of the Army, recently got a firsthand account of the beneficial work being done at the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant (SCAAP), which is located near the center of downtown in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
One of the critical topics Wormuth discussed at SCAAP during her visit, which took place on Monday, Feb. 6, was the need to increase production of 155-millimeter artillery shells and that modernization efforts would be ramping up at SCAAP soon. Ukrainian forces predominately use 155-millimeter shells in their battles against Russian troops, in a war that has lasted almost a year.
"What these shells have allowed the Ukrainian armed forces to do is to be able to strike targets from farther away,” Wormuth stated.
SCAAP is a subordinate of the Joint Munitions Command. The command provides the conventional ammunition life-cycle functions of logistics sustainment, readiness and acquisition support for all U.S. military services, other government agencies and allied nations as directed. JMC is also the logistics integrator for life-cycle ammunition management, providing a global presence of technical support to frontline units.
The Army is executing the most significant transformation in 40 years to ensure the United States out-competes its rivals to shape the international order while tackling challenges that define the next era of human history.
"The Army is investing about $17.6 billion in its organic industrial base over the next 15 years. We've got 23 sites and Scranton is one of those sites,” Wormuth said. “With the help of Congress and the support for the war in Ukraine, we have the appropriated funds to invest $243 million in Scranton that is going to help ramp up production lines and help put in some new equipment that will allow the plant to be able to produce more shells at a higher rate.”
Wormuth was impressed with the work ethic and skills of the members of the “artisan” workforce she had the opportunity to speak with at the government-owned, contractor-operated site.
“I got to talk to a few different people,” Wormuth said. “I talked to a woman who started here almost 15 years ago as a guard and now she is the supervisor doing all the quality checks at the end of the process.
“Their skill, their commitment to what they're doing, and the pride in the work that they're doing was very evident,” Wormuth added about SCAAP’s employees.
SCAAP is a leading producer of large-caliber artillery metal parts and components and can effectively and efficiently manufacture runs from small batch quantities to more than one million annually.
SCAAP plays a vital role in ensuring that Warfighters have the large-caliber ammunition needed to carry out missions successfully, and the installation has since the Korean War. SCAAP was established in 1953 and U.S Hoffman Machinery was the contractor until 1963 when Chamberlain Manufacturing Corporation took over. General Dynamics-Ordnance and Tactical Systems assumed the operation of SCAAP in 2006 and is the current contractor.
Built in 1907 and completed in 1909, the main buildings at SCAAP remain largely unaltered. Thus, the installation is included in a national historic district and is listed on the National Registry of Historical Places.
For news about SCAAP, visit the official Facebook page.
To learn more about JMC, visit their official website.
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