ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, Ill. — The Under Secretary of the Army, Mike Obadal, and Gen. James Mingus, Vice Chief of Staff of the Army, toured Rock Island Arsenal on Dec. 15 to gain deeper insight into the commands that bolster warfighter readiness and the garrison that supports them.
Col. Joe Parker, commander of U.S. Army Garrison-RIA, served as the escort officer and briefed the leaders on ongoing projects, infrastructure improvements and quality-of-life initiatives. These efforts, while centered on expanding the Rock Island Arsenal-Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center, benefit the entire installation.
Key discussions included enhancements to energy resilience through solar power, natural gas and the installation’s hydroelectric dam; plans for a new Child Development Center and a 40-slot recreational vehicle park; and opening Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation programs to the public.
The visitors also received an overview of the Joint Munitions Command, which manages conventional munitions sustainment and life-cycle functions from 17 arsenals, depots and ammunition plants to ensure joint forces have ready, reliable and lethal munitions.
Leaders from Army Sustainment Command demonstrated Vantage, a data-integration tool that enhances visibility into equipment redistribution, divestiture and transportation. Vantage streamlines processes for removing excess items, tracking unit inactivation’s and managing second-destination transportation costs — automating tasks that once required extensive manual effort and enabling faster, more informed decisions.
At RIA-JMTC, the Army’s only vertically integrated metal manufacturing facility, Brig. Gen. Beth Behn, commanding general of Tank-automotive and Armaments Command, and Col. Eloy Martinez, RIA-JMTC commander, hosted the tour. Discussions emphasized readiness, lethality and modernization amid declining domestic casting and forging capacity. The leaders viewed the Advanced Manufacturing Center of Excellence, where new 3D-printing systems produce parts up to 15 times faster, yielding lighter, stronger components while reducing foreign supply-chain dependence.
First Army leaders briefed how they partner with Army Reserve and National Guard units to sustain readiness under the Army’s Total Force Policy and manage global mobilization and demobilization. Their Operations Data Team showcased use of the Army Data Platform to deliver actionable insights to combatant commands.
During the visit, Mingus presented commander’s coins to several personnel in recognition of exceptional contributions.
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