Sierra Army Depot had the distinct pleasure to host a critical visit by three members of the Army and AMC Senior Executive Service (SES) leadership on August 12 & 13.

Mr. James Dwyer, Deputy G3, Support Operations, Army Materiel Command, Mr. Michael Brown, G4 Office, Logistics, Department of the Army, and Mr. Gerald O'Keefe, Deputy G5, Strategy and Concepts, Army Materiel Command wanted to see first-hand the ability of Sierra employees to handle the upcoming "surge" of excess material designated to come back from Iraq and Southwest Asia. The senior leadership of the Army and AMC are concerned that with the large amount of Non Standard Equipment (NSE) destined to return to CONUS, that we could become overwhelmed with the asset management tasks you are so familiar with after operating the AJ1 SWA Redistribution Pipeline for the past six years.

With those concerns in mind, Lt. Col. Joseph Dalessio, the Sierra Commander, was proud to highlight the depot workforce and our unique capabilities the receive and manage the assets we envision coming out of SWA after fighting terrorists for the past 7 years.

The senior leaders received the traditional command briefing along with a short video clip showing our core capabilities before going out into the warm afternoon to begin the depot tour. The Long Term Storage area was the first stop where they learned about the reclamation, inventory, and parts pulling on the combat and mechanized vehicles that are currently being stored here. Also during this portion, Mr. Donald Olson, Deputy Commander, explained how the depot has the capacity to handle the surge requirements associated with these items that are scheduled to return.

The next stop, the major focus area of the tour, was at the SWA Excess Equipment Redistribution area (AJ1 Directorate). Both Dwyer and Brown looked inside a container that was recently received on depot from SWA and noticed broken boxes and miscellaneous hardware. Mr. John Dingman, AJ1 Director, explained that the depot frequently receives material from SWA that is not in perfect condition, is not properly identified on the shipping documents, and we may not know exactly what is in some of the containers until they are opened.

Dingman walked with the group along the production lines of the equipment reclamation and redistribution area where they were able to observe how items are received, inventoried, condition coded and brought to record. The group then proceeded over to where the Organizational Clothing and Individual Equipment items were being worked. He was impressed with the sheer amount of material we were reclaiming for the nation's war fighters - and our clearly-identified processes for reclaiming the material so it could be used again in support of our Soldiers.

Other areas toured were Water and Fuel Assembly, Trailer Reset, Welding Shop, and the new Paint Booth currently being constructed. Upon completion of the tour, Dwyer turned to Dalessio and asked what did the depot need to be better prepared for the surge of containers coming his way, once the drawdown of Southwest Asia begins. Dalessio provided Dwyer with the necessary information needed to be ready for this tasking.

The SES is comprised of the men and women charged with leading the continuing transformation of our government. This dedicated corps of executives shares a commitment to public service and a set of democratic values grounded in the fundamental ideals of the Constitution. As the leaders of our Federal civilian workforce, Senior Executives strive each day to create a more citizen centered, result oriented Federal Government.