
KINGSPORT, Tenn. — Gen. Randy George, Chief of Staff of the Army, recently visited the Holston Army Ammunition Plant in Kingsport, Tennessee.
HSAAP, a subordinate of the Joint Munitions Command, manufactures a wide range of explosives for the Department of Defense, and is the worldwide center of excellence for the production and development of explosives.
The purpose of George’s Oct. 24, 2024, visit was to refine his understanding of the strategic importance of HSAAP as a producer of explosive materiel and to gain insight into the plant’s modernization projects.
Completed, currently underway or planned modernization initiatives at HSAAP include a flashing furnace, an explosive decomposition chamber, natural gas-fired steam plant, a New River water intake and pump house, nitric acid concentration/sulfuric acid concentration, the fluid energy mill building, and the weak acetic acid recovery plant.
George’s visit included a tour of the core production capabilities and modernization projects at HSAAP, and he was able to identify, receive information about, and see several of the projects.
"Visiting facilities like Holston Army Ammunition Plant has given me profound appreciation for the hardworking, patriotic Americans supporting our national defense,” George said. “As conflicts in the Middle East and Europe show wars rarely end quickly. Places like Holston and Radford Army Ammunition Plant ensure our formations have the ammunition they need when our Nation calls.”
Lt. Col. J. Mike Paul, HSAAP’s commander, felt George’s visit was enlightening for all parties involved.
“I think he left with an enhanced comprehension and appreciation of HSAAP's contributions to the Joint Force and our role within the larger JMC framework,” Paul said.
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