Tooele welcomes the four-star commanding general

TOOELE ARMY DEPOT, UTAH - The Army's senior logistician visited the Army Materiel Command's newest Center of Industrial and Technical Excellence installation. Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody, AMC's commanding general, visited Tooele Army Depot, Tuesday, to tour the recently CITE designated installation for ammunition peculiar equipment maintenance and the western hub for shipping and receiving conventional ammunition. While at TEAD, Dunwoody had the opportunity to recognize members of the workforce and tour the facilities of the Ammunition Equipment and Manufacturing and Ammunition Operations directorates. "I am always impressed at the dedication of employees from our installations," she said during a recognition ceremony of five employees, "My last ten years in the Army have been incredible. I have seen great teamwork in the most complex environments. It doesn't happen by accident -- it happens because of our dedicated and well- trained workforce." While touring the Pilot Model Shop, TEAD's core for all ammunition peculiar equipment maintenance and manufacturing and the basis for the CITE designation, Dunwoody learned the various capabilities including traditional machining, sheet metal, welding, fabrication and inspection of the APE and other components. Ted Heath, supervisory production manager for the Ammunition Equipment and Manufacturing directorate, explained to her that this unique equipment is designed and manufactured for all the military services. "Currently, we have 407 unique pieces of APE all over the United States and in countries around the world," Heath explained. Dunwoody was able to see various pieces of inactive APE that were on display at the Pilot Model Shop and also at the Ammunition Maintenance Facility. "The visit from a four-star Army general was a very special occasion. To see her showing her appreciation and support for what we do here means a lot to all our employees," he said. Dunwoody preceded her tour through the Ammunition Operations directorate, where she participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the newly renovated ammunition maintenance facility. This 26 thousand square foot building was one of many that was designed for explosive operations and is TEAD's primary ammunition maintenance facility. Constructed in the mid-1970s it remains a critical facility for the maintenance of conventional ammunition. "Facility modernization, such as this, needs to be one of the Army's focal points," Dunwoody said. Approximately 70 percent of the facilities within AMC are 50 years or older." Col. Dennis-Lowman, TEAD commander remarked, "After the completion of the 105mm renovation project last fall, we decided to take advantage of some down-time by giving this workhorse of the depot a facelift. Not only have we improved the morale and quality of the work environment for those who operate in this building, but we've also set the conditions to better showcase our capabilities to potential public and private sector partners." The tour proceeded to the Hydrolysis Demil Plant where Dunwoody was able to see the demonstration of the hydrolysis process. This is the depot's latest demil capability for destruction of the Cartridge Actuated Devices/Propellant Actuated Devices. This process resulted from a partnership between TEAD, the Defense Ammunition Center, General Atomics and the Air Force Research Lab. "I've heard good things about the depot, and I'm glad to see first-hand what our good employees are doing here and what they are doing to support the warfighter," said Dunwoody at the end of her visit. Dunwoody, AMC's commanding general since 2008, mentioned that the Materiel Enterprise is yielding improved support to deployed units for an Army at war. Through best practices, the Army is learning and transforming. As a consequence, we are faster, more agile and offer comprehensive equipment solution to the Soldiers in the field. "We are saving lives and improving support to units and Soldiers in the ARFORGEN (Army Force Generation) process," she said.