ANNISTON ARMY DEPOT, Ala. -- Maj. Gen. Kurt Stein, Commanding General, U.S. Army TACOM Life Cycle Management Command, spent the majority of March 22 with Anniston Army Depot officials focusing on the workload and current challenges.
The installation is slated to lose approximately 580 term and temporary employees, as their appointments expire, by the end of this fiscal year.
After receiving a personnel update from Depot Commander Col. Timothy Sullivan, Stein stated that these are difficult times. "As we right size, tough choices are being made in a thoughtful and deliberate manner that best supports the mission," he said. "I am proud of the work that Anniston has done by being proactive."
Stein encouraged the workforce to stay committed as we move through this process thoughtfully and with a focus on doing what is right for the Army and the Nation. With the completion of the war in Iraq and the declining need for the repair of its military equipment, the results were inevitable. "Now, we must focus on making this a smooth transition for the affected personnel," said Stein.
Over the last 19 months, the depot has implemented various actions to help mitigate the situation, to include:
• Implemented a temporary hiring freeze in October 2010
• Executed Voluntary Early Retirement Authority (VERA)/Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment (VSIP) opportunities. To date, 285 employees have retired.
• Established a Transition Assistance Office, consisting of representatives from the Calhoun County Chamber of Commerce, the Civilian Personnel Advisory Center, and the Depot's Training Office to assist displaced workers.
• Hosted a Job Fair with federal agencies and private sector businesses, approximately 400 employees attended
• Converted 48 veterans to excepted appointments
Stein spent a small portion of the day touring three of the installations newest facilities. First on the agenda was the Small Arms Repair Facility, which was officially opened in January, yet funded two years earlier. It is now co-located with the Small Arms Storage Facility, which is maintained by the Defense Logistics Agency-Defense Distribution Depot-Anniston.
The depot is the Department of Defense's primary Small Arms rebuild Center and overhauls weapons for all branches of the Armed Forces. Depot employees clean, repair, rebuild, and overhaul more than 30,000 like-new weapons annually, including rifles, pistols, and weapon-related hardware.
Stops also took him to the Powertrain Flexible Maintenance Facility, where employees in a green environment repair reciprocating engines.
His final stop concluded with a preview of the Transmission Repair facility, which is slated to open next month.
Before departing, Stein expressed his appreciation for everyone's continued support.
"Our employees are important to us," he said. Changes are difficult and a reduction in staff can have a tremendous affect on an organization. I urge employees to take advantage of the resources that are in place. We will continue doing what we can to assist."
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