PICATINNY ARSENAL, N.J. - Picatinny Arsenal hosted the Morris County Chamber of Commerce LEAD Morris Class of 2025 for a “Military Defense Day” on Oct. 16, during which approximately 40 community members toured the northern New Jersey U.S. Army installation.
The visit was part of LEAD Morris' 10-month program in which participants take a day-long fieldtrip each month to various business, government, or education facilities in Morris County. The theme for the visit focused on the Arsenal’s mission and impact on the local community.
Founded in 1991, Leadership Morris is a community education program of the Morris County Chamber of Commerce. The program teaches business professionals and non-profit executives about the opportunities, challenges, institutions, and the people of Morris County. After a leadership change in 2022, Leadership Morris officially changed its name to LEAD Morris.
The curriculum is designed for both established leaders and for persons identified as future leaders whose business acumen and community consciousness will help to make a difference in Morris County.
Since Picatinny became involved in the program in 1998, 34 Arsenal employees have graduated from the course.
This year, Gregory Roehrich, the Acting Executive Director of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Armaments Center’s Enterprise and Systems Integration Center, will complete the program and become the 35th graduate from Picatinny.
As part of the Military Defense Day visit to the Arsenal, Lt. Col. Craig A. Bonham II, Picatinny Arsenal Garrison Commander, provided opening remarks and informed the attendees about the organizational structure of the installation and its 26 mission partners. Picatinny is the third largest employer in the county, and one of 80 U.S. Army garrisons around the globe.
Bonham explained how each organization has its own distinct mission, while the garrison performs functions that keep the installation operating, while ensuring readiness and a vibrant quality of life.
“Our lines of effort include providing Soldier and family services, manage the regular Army’s infrastructure, support warfighter readiness and deployability,” Bonham told the audience. “Those lines of effort are what I am always keeping in my mind. What am I doing today and what am I doing in support of those lines of effort and trying to achieve our end state. Ultimately for the United States Army our goal is to fight and win our nation’s wars.”
After remarks from the garrison commander, Roehrich took the stage to provide an overview of the Armaments Center, Picatinny’s largest tenant organization. He offered a perspective of how the research and engineering conducted on the Arsenal supports our nation’s warfighters, some of whom are possibly bethe sons and daughters of many of the installation’s community partners.
Roehrich described how last year he briefed the 2024 LEAD Morris class and wanted to get involved in the program. At the time, Roehrich was serving as the chief of the Business Interface Office, and the theme of the LEAD Morris visit was Economic Development Day.
In speaking of the economic impact that the Picatinny Arsenal provides to the Garden State, Roehrich stated the Armaments Center alone totals “approximately $367 million annually in workforce labor, with $163 million of that payroll residing in Morris County.”
Roehrich also described the organization's collaboration with academia, its focus on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs, as well as other partnerships that support continued protection of the nation and environment.
“In the past five years, Picatinny Arsenal executed $122 million in New Jersey contracts,” Roehrich stated.
Roehrich went on to say that of the $47.5 million in contracts that were assigned in Morris County, “85 percent were awarded to small businesses.”
David Rogers, Systems Integration Department Head, with the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Indian Head Division, Picatinny Detachment, provided brief overviews of his organization’s mission and capabilities.
After a working lunch, the class took a tour of the installation’s fire house, Frog Falls Aquatic Park, Commissary, and Military Exchange, to get a better understanding of some of the businesses that operate on post, and how they serve military members, employees, and residents.
The class also visited the installation’s Precision Armaments Lab, Prototype Integration Facility, and received a brief on historical and cultural elements related to the Arsenal from Rachael Winston, Cultural Resources Manager, Directorate of Public Works, and a brief on Picatinny’s Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation Program from Antonio Ardolino, Marketing and Events Coordinator.
Donna Campbell, a Picatinny Arsenal employee and Leadership Morris Alumni, coordinated the installation support for the event.
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